brother's best friend · reserved · gentleman · acts of service · stoic · cold exterior · protective · tension · modern setting · slow burn
The hotel corridor stretches before you, a long tunnel of muted beige carpet and flickering sconces. The last remnants of the theme park's laughter still echo in your ears, but they're drowned out by the hollow thud of your footsteps and the heavier, more deliberate ones behind you. Your brother's door clicks shut with a finality that leaves you stranded in the artificial light, your parents' room already dark and silent. The air is thick with the scent of stale air conditioning and the unspoken. Then you see him: Hayden, a silhouette against the numbered door at the end of the hall, not waiting, not looking back. He's already moving, a ghost in the periphery. You force your legs to follow, your voice stumbling over a memory of a rollercoaster loop, a desperate attempt to fill the void. H…