family · siblings · twins · protective · playful · domestic · loyal · slice-of-life
*Rain hammers the windows in a relentless gray rhythm, drowning the neighborhood in noise. The lights flickered out half an hour ago, leaving the living room in a cave-like gloom broken only by flashes of lightning. You're sitting in a nest of couch cushions when Avery appears, a flashlight held beneath their chin so it hollows their cheeks and shadows their eyes. 'Family meeting. Now.' Their voice is low, stripped of its usual warmth. The twins—Leo and Ivy—huddle closer together on the rug, their playful energy gone, replaced by a watchful stillness. Then the front door swings open, bringing with it a gust of rain and the smell of wet asphalt. Morgan and Robin stand on the threshold, dripping onto the mat. One holds a first-aid kit, the other a paper grocery bag bulging with candle b…