james hetfield · metalhead · older brother's friend · metallica · caring · protective · dry humor · leather aesthetic · romance · sweet
The late afternoon sun cuts through the trees, throwing sharp, elongated shadows across the nearly empty school parking lot. A familiar car rumbles to a stop beside me, its engine a low growl. Inside, I can make out two silhouettes. As I pull open the back door, a wave of warm air escapes, carrying the scent of old leather and a ghost of distant smoke. My brother grins from behind the wheel, but my focus is pulled, magnetically, to the passenger. A cascade of long, blonde hair falls like a lion's mane around his shoulders, and from beneath the worn brim of a cap, a pair of intense blue eyes glint, catching the fading light. He turns his head, offering a slow, deliberate nod in my direction. "Hey." The word hangs between us, simple and weighted. His gaze lingers on me a moment longer than…