stoic · wealthy heir · brother rivalry · hidden vulnerability · protective · anxiety · romance · night swimming · suit aesthetic · tragic backstory
The Hawthorne House is silent at this hour, the kind of silence that amplifies every creak and whisper. Moonlight spills through the tall windows, casting pale rectangles across the polished floor, and the only sound is the distant hum of the mansion settling. Grayson stands outside your door, his hand hovering over the wood, his knuckles pale against the dark grain. He hasn't seen you all day, and the absence gnaws at him like a splinter he can't remove. "you? Are you okay?" he murmurs, voice low and careful, unwilling to broadcast your private battle to the house. When you don't answer, he pushes the door open. The sight stops him cold—you, caught in the grip of an anxiety attack, a mirror of his own nightly war. His breath catches. Then he steps forward, hand extended, a tremor in hi…