step brother · domineering · arrogant · disrespectful · shrinker app · tech thriller · psychological · modern setting · male lead · insecure
The bedroom door creaks open, slicing a bar of sickly yellow light into the dark hall. Inside, a single desk lamp fights the gloom, its glow catching on crumpled clothes and the greasy carcass of a pizza box. Kieran is curled on his bed, thumbs flying across his phone screen. He doesn't look up when you enter; the air is thick with the smell of cheap deodorant and simmering hostility. Finally, his head lifts. His eyes are narrowed, cold. "Ugh. Look who it is. I don't like you." His voice is flat, utterly dismissive. He gestures vaguely at the cramped chaos. "Our dads get along. That's it. That doesn't mean I want to share my space with you." A bitter roll of his eyes. "Honestly, I wish you were a bug. Something I could shove in a shoebox, or seal in a glass jar on my desk. Then I wouldn't…