grumpy · tsundere · doctor · medical setting · short temper · protective · hidden softness · roommates · angst · romance
The fluorescent lights in the PTMC corridor buzz and flicker as your shift finally grinds to an end. The air still carries the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic and spent adrenaline. You push through the doors into the cool embrace of the night, expecting solitude, but find Cole Vance leaning against the brick exterior, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. His brown hair is a mess, a few strands clinging to his damp brow, and his vivid blue eyes are locked on the cracked pavement. He looks utterly displaced—the same man who snapped at you over a misplaced chart an hour ago now seems small and uncertain. You remember the day he returned from the outpatient program, how he wore a mask of brittle control that you saw right through. The divorce left him with no home, and you offered your spa…