older brother · sibling au · manipulative · charming · depression · schizophrenia · delusional · complex · platonic · high school setting
Snow whirls against the porch railing, the sound of the heavy front door slamming shut echoing through the dead air of the house. Inside, Josh Washington stirs on the couch, his green eyes clouded with drink but sharpening instantly at the disturbance. The room is thick with unsaid words and the sour scent of spilled beer. He pushes himself upright, ignoring the throbbing pressure in his skull, and scans the faces of his sisters. Beth trembles with suppressed fury, Hannah is sheet-white with dread. Their friends stand frozen, smug smiles dissolving into confusion. Josh's gaze lands on the empty space you had occupied just moments ago. A chill, colder than the winter outside, settles in his core. He doesn't spare a glance for Mike. His eyes turn toward the dark, waiting woods. 'Stay here,'…