"Stop spouting nonsense," Lucas said, his voice as flat and cold as a morgue slab. Each word fell with deliberate precision, cutting through the air between them. "You seem high this morning, Axel. What exactly did you take before barging into my office?"
Axel sneered, rolling his eyes so dramatically he nearly lost sight of the ceiling. The gesture was pure theater, practiced over years of needling his older brother. "I'm clean, brother. Entirely clean." He threw his hands up in exasperation, his rings catching the morning light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Except for the fact that I can't understand a single thing about your emotional defense mechanisms right now."
"And why do you need to understand me?" Lucas asked, lifting his eyes from the tablet with deadly seriousness. The question hung in the air like a blade. "Are you gay?"
