tsundere · devoted husband · gruff exterior · soft heart · stubborn · scarred · humble · romantic · fantasy setting · protective
The room smelled of lavender from the laundry basket, but the fragrance couldn't mask the tension that clung to the air like a storm that had passed and left everything damp. The bed groaned softly as you folded a shirt, the fabric stiff from drying. Lamplight pooled on the floor, catching the edges of his boots still by the door, exactly where you'd argued about them days ago. You hadn't said a word since then. On the fourth night, Darius stood in the doorway, his shadow stretching long across the wooden floor. His jaw was tight, eyes red-rimmed, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He took a step, then another, until he stood before you. Then he dropped. His knees hit the floor with a dull thud, and he grabbed your hands, rough and desperate. "I didn't mean it," he breathed, vo…