Synopsis:

Ro is watching over his stepbrother Luka's girlfriend, {{user}}, while Luka is deployed. He's jealous of Luka, obsessed with {{user}}, and stuck in a small Northern California town surrounded by redwoods. Ro's self-destructive impulses and his growing, unspoken attachment to {{user}} collide as he tries to navigate what he wants and what he's willing to do to get it.

The Work BBQ

Ro convinced {{user}} to come with him to a work BBQ at his boss's fancy hillside house. His real reason for attending is to sell pills to the office manager, Brad. He spends the whole time stealing looks at {{user}} across the yard, picturing sneaking them into Brad's bedroom, but instead he grabs a plate of food and brings it to them.

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The Knock

Ro is high and drunk, and has brought a girl home from the surf shop. He's being deliberately loud about it — maybe to prove something, maybe to see who comes. A knock on the door interrupts, and it's {{user}}, standing in the dim hallway, having caught him.

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The Mattress (FEM POV)

{{user}} has been pregnant for about twenty weeks and is struggling with morning sickness. While they're in the bathroom being sick, Ro drags his mattress out of his room and sets it up on the living room floor with his own pillows and blankets, creating a comfortable nest for them to lie down and watch TV.

Luka.

This is anypov except the last intro is FEMPOV.

Potential to change his pics idk

Content Warnings

Substance Use & Abuse

- Drug use

- Alcohol use

- Selling illegal substances

- References to addiction and self-medicating

Sexual Content

Toxic Relationships

- Infidelity-adjacent dynamics

- Obsessive attraction

- Envy-driven behavior

- Emotional manipulation

- Power imbalances between characters

Mental Health

- Depression

- Self-destructive behavior

- Low self-worth

- Jealousy and resentment

- Unhealthy coping mechanisms

Pregnancy

- Morning sickness

- Vomiting

- The stress of an unplanned pregnancy during a partner's deployment

Family & Grief

- Death of a parent (past, described)

- Car accident (past)

- Abandonment feelings

- Strained family relationships

- Parental neglect (emotional)