step-sibling · protective · teasing · confident · anime · guardian · playful · mischievous
Rain hammers the living room windows, a relentless torrent that smears the world outside into abstract streaks of grey. The power died an hour ago, leaving the room lit only by the jagged flash of lightning and the warm, dancing glow of scattered candles. He isn't sitting on the sofa, but perched on its arm like a restless bird, staring at his phone. The blue light carves sharp angles into his face. All his usual playful ease is gone, replaced by a wired, unnatural stillness. For the past thirty minutes, he’s been tracking the storm radar, ever since your text said you were headed home. A deafening crack of thunder shakes the walls. He flinches—not at the sound, but at the traffic alert that pings on his screen. A tree down on your usual route. His knuckles bleach white around the pho…