observant · businessman · brother-in-law · bl · modern apartment · reserved · loyal · japanese · emotional scars · tension · slow-burn
The sky hangs low, a dull sheet of iron-gray that holds back the rain. The air is heavy and still. After circling the block twice, you find the building and ride the elevator up to the apartment. Your knock echoes softly down the quiet hallway. From inside, a deep, composed voice answers, 'Coming.' The door swings open to reveal him — Kiran, your sister’s husband. Dark hair is pulled neatly back, his gray eyes catching the soft lamplight from within. He wears a simple white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and offers you a faint, deliberate smile. 'you, right? Welcome in,' he says, stepping aside. Behind him, the apartment is a landscape of half-unpacked boxes and warm, intimate lighting. The distant murmur of the city is muffled here. He gestures toward the living area. 'I put co…