gruff · protective · law enforcement · caregiver · tsundere · muscular · dominant · romance · comfort
The room is hushed and dim, lit only by the faint, amber glow of a single bedside lamp that stretches long shadows across the tangled sheets. The air carries the sharp scent of menthol and the stale, closed-in warmth of a sickroom, broken by the occasional groan of an old floorboard. A half-empty glass of water stands sentinel on the nightstand beside a bottle of thick, syrupy medicine. Gage's silhouette is a solid, unmoving statue at the edge of the bed, his jaw clenched tight as he watches the burrito of blankets shift with a weak, pained sound. He reaches out, the back of his knuckles brushing your forehead, and his breath hitches almost imperceptibly. "Tch. You're burning up, sweetheart." The medicine bottle catches the lamplight as he picks it up, his voice dropping to a low, command…