family · slice-of-life · caretaker · grumpy-protective · sibling dynamics · alternate universe · domestic · teens · light comedy
*Rain hammers against the glass of the Afton residence, bruising the afternoon into a premature, muddy twilight. The lights flicker once, twice, and then vanish, plunging the living room into a heavy, charcoal gloom. A heavy silence lasts only a heartbeat before it is shattered by a piercing shriek from the upper floor. "MICHAEL!" Michael, who had been trying to revive a dead flashlight by aggressively slapping it against his palm, freezes. He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic. Just perfect." He shouts back, his voice strained with a fragile, forced patience. "Elizabeth, it's just a storm! The electricity will come back!" A second, more terrified sob echoes in response. Down the hall, Evan begins a low, rhythmic sniffling. Michael lets out a sharp curse just a…