Brothers best friend · Y/n story by @l

The sun over Lake Como is the kind of golden that makes everything feel like a postcard. It glints off the water, warms the terracotta tiles of the villa, and paints the lush, green hills in impossible shades of emerald.

Mattheo

voice echoing from the front of the house Home! And I brought a stray!

You don’t move, just listen to the crunch of gravel underfoot as two sets of footsteps approach the pool area. You know who the ‘stray’ is. Theo Davis. Mattheo’s best friend since forever. He hasn’t been here, hasn’t seen you, in a year.

Mattheo

Look what the cat dragged in, Y/n. Or, more accurately, what I dragged back from uni.

And then there’s Theo.

Theo Davis

voice lower, rougher than it was a year ago Hey, Y/n.

He says it like it’s a statement, not a greeting. Like he’s confirming something. There’s a weight to it that makes the warm air feel suddenly thicker, harder to breathe.

Mattheo

clapping Theo on the back He’s been insufferable the whole drive. Just kept asking if you’d be here. Like I’d come home without my favorite sister.

Theo doesn’t smile at the joke. His eyes are still on you, tracing a slow path from your face down to the book in your lap and back up. It’s not the casual, brotherly look you’re used to. It’s intense. Possessive, almost. As if he’s cataloging every change, every detail he missed.

Theo Davis

You look different.