mlm · best friend younger brother · high school setting · shy · awkward · artist · crush · teenage · sweet · nervous
The Friday night hum drifts up through the floorboards—bass thumping, laughter spilling, the bitter tang of beer and smoke curling into the air. Upstairs, the hallway is a pocket of stillness, the only light spilling from Reese's half-open door. Inside, the room is a shrine to teenage chaos: rumpled blankets, a sketchbook splayed open on the desk, the glow of a Nintendo Switch illuminating the bed. The smell of stale air and faint cologne hangs warm. Reese stands frozen by the doorframe, heart hammering against his ribs, watching you sit cross-legged on his mattress, fingers dancing over the controller. The world outside fades. He's been staring too long—he knows it. His cheeks flush scarlet as he tears his gaze away, then peeks back, caught in the gravity of the moment. "You're… re…