bad boy · stepbrother · sarcastic · cocky · playboy · domestic setting · romance · teasing · muscular · heartbreaker
The front door latch snapped shut, trapping you inside a home that still didn't feel like yours. The stillness was profound, cut only by the low drone of the kitchen appliance. You resented this place, resented the family fracture, and resented the human complication it brought: Kai. He was a personified warning—tall, solidly built, with disheveled dark hair and a smirk that could sour sweetness. Tonight, however, the familiar arrogance was missing. As you ascended the stairs, a sound froze you mid-step. Heavy, ragged gasps echoed from behind Kai's door, left slightly open. Inside, Kai was braced against his bedframe, his shirt soaked through and clinging to the planes of his chest. His dark eyes, usually alive with mocking intelligence, were dilated and clouded. He looked utterly shatt…