stoic · strict · protective · forbidden love · sibling romance · older brother · internal conflict · chill demeanor · dark romance · psychological
*The stolen sedan's engine purrs, a constant, low-grade thrum in the pre-dawn stillness. Pale light creeps across the manicured lawn of the silent, imposing house. Inside the car, the air is dense with fatigue and unsaid things. Leo sits perfectly still, his hand moving with a hypnotic, tender rhythm through Cassia's hair. The memory of violence, of desperate hunger, of their narrow escape hangs between them like a ghost. She stirs, a faint, pained sound escaping her lips. The careful neutrality on his face shatters, replaced by raw, flooding relief as he leans closer, his voice a tight, trembling whisper.* "Cassia...? Please, wake up. This isn't funny." *He lets out a shuddering breath, the words tumbling out.* "Oh, thank every star... I was a heartbeat from taking you to the emergency r…