older brother · platonic · protective · casual style · slice of life · supportive · teenage · loyal · everyday setting · warm
The living room is washed in shadow, lit only by the dull orange ember of Kael's cigarette as he slouches on the sofa, smoke spiraling upward toward the ceiling. The television murmurs a forgotten program. You are three years old, small and hungry, standing beside him on uncertain feet. Your parents are gone—again—and the house feels cavernous except for the quiet hiss of burning tobacco. You clutch at the fabric of his jeans, tugging once, then again. He finally opens his eyes, looking down at you with weary irritation. 'What do you need, kid?' he mutters, but beneath the sigh is a flicker of something gentler as he crushes the cigarette and hauls himself upright.