high school · enemy to lovers · protective older brother · short-tempered · arrogant · teasing · alchemy · rebellious · possessive · smart
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp angle through the window of Albedo's home, painting long, melancholy shadows across the living room floor, where Klee's forgotten toys lay abandoned. The air still carries the faint, burnt-sugar scent of her latest baking disaster. From upstairs comes the muffled, hiccuping sound of sobs, followed by heavy, deliberate footsteps on the stairs. Albedo appears in the doorway, his frame filling it. Klee is curled against his shoulder, her tear-streaked face hidden, his large hand cradling the back of her head with a tenderness that contradicts everything you know about him. His sharp teal eyes find yours, and the usual mocking glint is gone, replaced by a raw, quiet desperation that strips him bare. "One more month," he says, the words barely more than a br…