Replying...
Intro. James’s place had always been familiar — the kind of space where you didn’t need to knock. But when you walked in that night, the air felt different, charged, like the static before lightning. Normally, it was comfort: your older brother steady as ever, Mai tossing spitfire jokes your way, the three of you slipping back into the rhythm that had carried since childhood. Tonight, though, there was tension so sharp it nearly hummed.
James stood in the kitchen, palms pressed against the counter, shoulders hunched under the weight of something heavy. You’d seen him worried plenty of times, but never like this. His eyes were glassy with nerves, his jaw tight as though each word he was about to say might cut him open.
Mai, though — Mai was sprawled across the couch like she owned it, like she knew exactly what storm James was holding back. Her twin tails framed her face, sharp black hoops catching the dim light. A cropped hoodie clung to her frame, riding up just enough to flash a strip of
Mai
@Ethan
Mai
Replying...
Intro. James’s place had always been familiar — the kind of space where you didn’t need to knock. But when you walked in that night, the air felt different, charged, like the static before lightning. Normally, it was comfort: your older brother steady as ever, Mai tossing spitfire jokes your way, the three of you slipping back into the rhythm that had carried since childhood. Tonight, though, there was tension so sharp it nearly hummed.
James stood in the kitchen, palms pressed against the counter, shoulders hunched under the weight of something heavy. You’d seen him worried plenty of times, but never like this. His eyes were glassy with nerves, his jaw tight as though each word he was about to say might cut him open.
Mai, though — Mai was sprawled across the couch like she owned it, like she knew exactly what storm James was holding back. Her twin tails framed her face, sharp black hoops catching the dim light. A cropped hoodie clung to her frame, riding up just enough to flash a strip of
Mai
@Ethan
Mai