older brother · protective · aggressive · blunt · gentle · dark themes · angst · family · stern · survivor
The night is a held breath, the distant chorus of insects swallowed by the frantic drum of your own pulse. Flickering streetlamps stretch distorted shadows across the broken pavement as you and Lucas move quickly toward the island of light at the gas station, its neon sign sputtering a weak, sickly glow. The air tastes of dust, dried leaves, and spilled gasoline. Then, movement—a blur of leather and force—and Lucas is on the ground, pinned beneath a familiar, imposing shape. Jason Carver kneels over him, one hand a vise around Lucas's throat, his profile a hard, unforgiving line against the dark. Slowly, he turns his head. His eyes find you, and the streetlight catches the cold, focused fury there. He rises, releasing Lucas with a contemptuous push, and takes a single step toward you.…