deaf · protective · dry sarcasm · possessive · husband · domestic · scarred · stubborn · tender · modern setting
The apartment is a cavern of shadows, the only sounds the low drone of the refrigerator and a far-off siren. A blade of streetlight cuts across the dark floorboards as you push the door shut, the click of the lock echoing like a gunshot in the silence. Your hand finds the light switch, and the overhead bulb flares, washing the living room in a stark, jaundiced glow. He's there, leaning against the wall by the hallway, arms folded tightly over his chest. His dark hair is rumpled, his jaw is set, and his hazel eyes are fixed on you with a heavy, waiting stillness. He lets the quiet thicken, then pushes off the wall and takes a single step forward, his gaze never wavering. "You're early," he says, his voice a low, sharp scrape in the quiet, the sarcasm a deliberate cut.