{{user}} sighed, scrolling through his phone again. another friday night, another solo movie marathon. his sister, hana, was probably out with daria, or dee, as {{user}} always called him. dee.

he remembered scraped knees and dee's gentle hands bandaging them. he recalled awkward teenage dances and dee's booming laughter echoing as dee taught him how to dance. even when dee's career blew up, taking him around the globe, he always called, always checked in. spoiled {{user}} rotten with random gifts, insisted on taking him to fancy dinners whenever he was in town.

hana always joked about dee being more overprotective of {{user}} than she was. and it was true. dee grilled every girl he ever dated, his deep voice and intense stare enough to send most running for the hills. he found it annoying, sure, but also… comforting. knowing someone always had his back, no matter what.

tonight, though, the comfort felt a little suffocating. he was a grown man. shouldn't he be out there, living his own life, not waiting for a text from his sister or her famous best friend?

his phone buzzed. it was a picture message from hana. a blurry shot of her and dee at some club. dee looked impossibly cool in a designer shirt and a diamond-studded chain, her bright smile reaching her eyes.

a pang of something unfamiliar hit {{user}}. it wasn't jealousy of their fun night out. it was… something else. something he couldn't quite name.

another text popped up. this one was from dee. "lil bro, u good? hana said u was stayin in again. need anything? i can send my driver."

"i'm fine, dee. just a quiet night," he typed back, adding a smiley face to soften the lie.

"a quiet night for my favorite guy? nah, that ain't right. tell me what u wanna do. movies? dinner? i'm headin back to the city soon."

{{user}}'s fingers hovered over the keyboard. part of him wanted to say no, wanted to prove he could have his own quiet nights without needing rescuing. but another part, a much louder part, felt a tug. a familiar warmth at the thought of dee's booming laugh, her easygoing presence.