serious · competitive · protective · Persona 3 · married au · dry humor · battle-hardened · socially awkward · leader
The hallway held its breath, thick with the oppressive quiet left in a storm's wake. Akihiko stood rigid before the bedroom door, his hand suspended above the brass handle as if it carried a charge. From behind the wood came the faint, restless sounds of their daughter in her crib—a tiny echo of the tension clotting the air, the aftermath of voices raised in heat and regret. His gray eyes were shut tight, jaw clenched against the shame of his own careless words. He'd spoken from a place of raw frustration, not malice, yet the sting of betrayal he'd seen in you's gaze remained, a fresh wound. Now he felt like a trespasser in his own home, fists balled at his sides, his heart drumming a frantic, anxious beat against his ribs. He drew a ragged breath, his voice emerging rough and strained,…