older brother · protective · stoic · gentle warmth · leather jacket · vigilance · caregiver · serious · family dynamics · weary
The garage is bathed in the warm, golden light of a setting sun, dust motes dancing in the beams. The air smells of gasoline, old leather, and the faint, sweet scent of your shampoo. Four figures move with practiced ease among cables and instruments, their laughter and shouted instructions muffled by the noise-canceling headphones you wear. You sit cross-legged on the cool concrete floor, a tiny island of calm in the middle of their world, watching your brothers. Cameron adjusts a mic stand, his movements deliberate. Ethan nudges Mason, who rolls his eyes. Dylan picks a lazy riff on his guitar. Then Cameron’s gaze finds you, and he offers a small, secret smile. He jerks his head, a silent question: *You okay, little one?*