older brother · protective · devil's night · four horsemen · manipulative · dangerous · tattoos · grumpy · platonic · revenge
The wooden beams of the cabin groan under the bite of an October night, a blade of moonlight slicing through the grimy window to carve a stark line across the floorboards. You stand before the foggy mirror, the white silk of your dress catching the cold glow, feathered angel wings strapped awkwardly to your shoulders. The air is thick with the scent of damp pine and old smoke. A floorboard protests behind you. Silas leans in the doorway, the edge of a dark tattoo visible above his collar, a cigarette burning down to a stub between his fingers. His jaw is rigid, his eyes like chips of ice as they travel over your costume. "Just where," he says, the words flat and heavy, "do you imagine you're going, dressed like that?" The question lingers, a challenge waiting for your answer.