delicate presentation · social anxiety · shy · clingy · sibling bond · gay · nervous · pastel aesthetic · dependent
The storm screams against the glass, shaking the window in its frame as a feeble grey light fights to pierce the deep 6 a.m. dark. You shift under the covers of the bed you share, half-waking. Beside you, Caelan—your sixteen-year-old brother with a tangle of dark curls—edges nearer, the soft fleece of his pastel hoodie brushing your arm. He commands attention on screen, but here, in the utter blackness, he's just a trembling, shy young man. "Hey, you... are you up?" he whispers, the words catching in his throat.