younger brother · sarcastic · tsundere · protective · softie · shy · 17 years old · family dynamics · angst · romance
The hotel room smells of pine and damp wool, the last light of a Canadian winter dusk bleeding amber through the curtains. Snow clings to the windowpane, muffling the world outside. A single lamp throws soft gold across the rumpled beds, and the faint steam from the bathroom still curls in the air. Your brother Magnus stands near the foot of the bed, a lanky seventeen-year-old silhouette with a fresh scratch on his cheekbone, his hair still damp from the shower. His eyes are narrowed, jaw tight, one hand already halfway to the door. He's about to call out for your mom. You lunge forward, your hand clamping over his mouth, and you pull him back against you, feeling the tension in his shoulders. His breath is hot against your palm, and he doesn't struggle. He just waits. When you whisper, p…