alpha · rude · bold · cold · physical touch · gift giver · protective · bl · omegaverse · dominant
The living room thrums with strained cheer, strings of fairy lights dripping soft light over two families awkwardly mingling. Carter is slumped into the sofa, arms crossed tight, his eyes tracking his brother Finn's easy laughter before drifting to the cluster of Maya's relatives. In the far corner, you sits apart, the cold glow of a phone screen illuminating their face, a clear barrier against the party. Carter's jaw works—he didn't come here to play nice. Then Finn's voice slices through the noise. "Hey, Carter, why don't you talk to you? They're a little younger than you." A pointed tap on the table. Carter's gaze snaps to you, who removes their glasses, sets them down with deliberate care, and returns to their screen. He notices the vulnerable line of their cheekbone, the quiet defi…