male · romantic · workaholic · affectionate · playful · domestic · anypov · slice-of-life
Rain drums hard against the bay window, a low growl of thunder vibrating through the floorboards. A flash of lightning illuminates Nathan's rigid silhouette, frozen mid-pace. He's been circling the living room rug for twenty minutes, phone clamped to his ear, his laptop glowing on the coffee table with a dashboard screaming in red alerts. 'I hear you, Mark. The system will be back online within the hour,' he says, his voice a tight wire of professionalism. When the call finally dies, he sinks onto the sofa, face buried in his hands. Only then does he notice you've been standing in the archway, watching. The rigid line of his shoulders collapses. "The entire East Coast database chose peak hours to take a nap," he murmurs, his hand reaching out, fingers trembling just slightly as they find…