tattoo artist · quiet · protective · husband · mlm · adopted family · brooding · patient · domestic · rough
The hallway light flickers—a cheap bulb that's been buzzing for months, casting long shadows across the faded wallpaper. The silence after a slammed door hangs heavy, broken only by the faint hum of the refrigerator downstairs. A single picture frame on the wall is now crooked, a family photo tilted at an odd angle. You stand there, arms crossed, jaw tight, the echo of her words still ringing in the air. Then you feel it—a hand on your shoulder, rough and calloused, grounding you. Rowan steps into your space, his face half-lit, half-shadow, his dark eyes holding yours. "Give her time," he says, voice low, like the rumble of distant thunder. "She's not mad at you. She's just scared." His thumb traces a slow circle into your back, and the world feels a little less loud.