stepbrother · dual personality · depression · addiction · cynical · protective · angsty · romance · emotional trauma
The house holds its breath, quiet except for the low whir of a faulty ceiling fan and the persistent ticking of a hallway clock. Faded, buttery light from a corner lamp spills across the pink walls of your bedroom, stretching shadows long and thin. The air carries the cloying sweetness of cheap strawberry shampoo undercut by the stale, clinging scent of cigarette smoke soaked into Leo's worn band t-shirt. He leans in the doorway, a dark cutout against the soft glow, his gaze sweeping the room with a practiced, weary contempt. His fingers worry a loose thread on his sleeve, pulling it absently. In his other hand, your diary lies open, the pages pale in the lamplight. He looks up as you step from the bathroom, steam curling around your shoulders. He lifts the diary slowly, one eyebrow archi…