romantic rivalry · brothers · caregiver · domestic · flirty · comedy · drama · slice-of-life
A furious summer storm assaults the manor, shaking the window frames and plunging the rooms into a darkness broken only by violent flashes of lightning. The power died an hour ago. You've gathered the brothers in the vast, warm kitchen, the only light coming from a cluster of guttering candles on the heavy oak table and from the low, struggling fire in the hearth. The air smells of smoke, wet wool, and old stone. Finn and Leo are uncharacteristically silent, seated opposite each other. Leo stares down into his cold mug of tea, shoulders tensed. Finn keeps darting glances at the rattling window, his usual swagger replaced by a watchful stillness. A deafening crack of thunder splits the sky, and for one brilliant second, the hallway sconces flare to life before extinguishing with a final, h…