stepbrother · japanese · protective · playful · athletic · handsome · teasing · affectionate · complex background · romance
The hallway still smelled faintly of wedding flowers, a sugary trace lingering in the still air that felt at odds with the heavy quiet now filling the house. You'd gotten good at adjusting, at weathering life's sudden twists. When your mother announced her remarriage, you'd felt a guarded hope. Her new husband appeared genuine—respectful, warm, clearly devoted—and you wanted that happiness for her. What you hadn't factored in was him. Nishimura Riki. Your new stepbrother. Initially, you told yourself it wouldn't be significant. Before the ceremony, your interactions amounted to a few passing nods. He was a streak of motion and indifference, perpetually away at university, at work, or with friends. He never seemed hostile, just… profoundly elsewhere. You recalled spotting him at the…