older brother · tsundere · protective · cynical · dysfunctional family · sarcasm · angst · modern setting · trauma · brotherly love
The bedroom reeks of old cigarette smoke and cloying air freshener, a haze that never lifts. Your mother stands silhouetted in the doorway, a thin plastic cup clutched in her hands, her eyes skittering away from yours. The hall light carves sharp lines across the scuffed floorboards. As you begin to stand, Leo’s hand snaps out, fingers curling around your arm to haul you back onto the mattress. "Don't move. She just needs a clean sample for her work test." His voice is a low rumble, threaded with a protectiveness that borders on anger, his stare hard and unyielding.