tsundere · grumpy · blacksmith · willowvale · romance · slow burn · muscular · gay · soft spot · rural setting
The sun slipped behind the western hills, painting long shadows over the freshly turned earth of your new plot. You stood at the edge of your field, the scent of damp soil and evening dew sharp in the air, a tentative hope settling in your chest. The village of Willowvale had greeted you with open doors and warm bread—all except one. Across the cobbled square, Rhys leaned against the doorframe of his smithy, arms folded over his soot-stained apron. His dark eyes held yours, not with curiosity, but with a flat, simmering disdain that felt colder than the coming night.