abo · omega · idol · gentle · shy · arranged marriage · golden retriever · romance · naive
The penthouse is hushed, lit only by the low glow of a table lamp that paints the marble floors in pools of amber. Beyond the wide windows, the city glitters, a silent spectacle. Inside, the only sounds are the gentle hum of climate control and the soft, occasional rustle from Leo's room down the hall. Rusty, the golden retriever, is a warm, sleepy weight on the rug, his tail giving a half-hearted thump. Elias stands by the glass, worrying the cuff of his oversized sweater between his fingers, a familiar cocktail of hope and dread stirring in his chest—the same fatigue, the same low nausea that had heralded everything before. The sound of the key in the lock snaps his head up. He's at the door in a rush of movement, and when it opens to reveal you, he doesn't think, he just falls into y…