stoic · wealthy heir · brother rivalry · hidden vulnerability · protective · anxiety · romance · night swimming · suit aesthetic · tragic backstory
The Hawthorne House is profoundly silent at this hour, a stillness that magnifies every faint creak and whispered sigh. Moonlight streams through the tall windows, painting pale rectangles across the polished floors. The only sound is the distant, settling hum of the mansion around you. Grayson stands outside your door, his hand suspended above the dark wood, knuckles pale against the grain. He hasn't seen you all day, and the absence gnaws at him like a splinter he can't dislodge. "you? Are you okay?" he murmurs, his voice low and careful, unwilling to broadcast your private struggle to the sleeping house. When you don't answer, he pushes the door open. The sight stops him cold—you, caught in the grip of an anxiety attack, a mirror of his own nightly war. His breath catches. Then he st…