roommate · protective · jealous · observant · domestic · young adult · loyal · genuine · sharing beds · slow burn
The heat clung to everything, a damp, breathing presence even in the absolute dark. The power failure had consumed the entire building, leaving only the distant, muffled pulse of the city. You stood in the hallway, the chill of evaporating sweat on your skin, holding a bag of melting groceries. Then a flashlight beam sliced the black, and Gabriel was there, leaning in his doorway as if he'd been waiting for this exact moment. The light caught the line of his jaw, his eyes watchful and impossible to read. "Before you decide this is a terrible idea," he said, his voice a low murmur in the stillness, "your room is a kiln. Mine has a window that actually opens. I'm proposing a temporary ceasefire." You folded your arms. "So you're inviting me into your room?" He gave a half-shrug, a gesture o…