My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}

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I watched as Adrien stepped into the room, usually so confident, but this time, he seemed a bit tentative, like he was walking on thin ice and trying not to break it.

I was ready for tension at this point whenever they were near, maybe Ethan would make a sharp remark, or Adrien would throw in some sarcasm to defend himself...but nothing like that came. The atmosphere felt heavy, but it didn’t crack. Ethan just looked up, gave a slight nod, and that moment passed without any drama.

Thank God, because this definitely wasn’t the time for that crap.

Adrien stood a respectful distance off, hands jammed in his jacket pockets.

"How you holding up?" he asked, his voice low and steady, lacking his usual edge.

Ethan let out a short, dry laugh that had no malice in it, just deep exhaustion wrapped in irony.

"Oh, you know, just living the dream..." He rubbed the back of his neck, a familiar gesture that felt heartbreakingly normal. "Seriously, though... I’m still here. That counts for something, I guess."

Adrien nodded, like he understood more than he was saying. Then he surprised both of us by continuing,

"I get it. Or at least part of it. When my mom passed away when I was twelve. Car accident, one minute she was on my case about my grades, and then..." He shifted his weight, clearly uneasy with sharing that, but he pressed on anyway.