rivalry · reluctant-caregiver · slow-burn · slice-of-life · banter · fluff · roommates · teasing · enemies-to-lovers
*Rain hammers the condo windows in relentless sheets, smearing the city lights outside into watery blurs. The power died an hour ago, drowning the space in shadows broken only by the occasional flash of lightning and the weak glow from Julian's phone flashlight propped on a shelf. You're shivering under two blankets on the couch, a fever spiking despite the medication. Julian is perched on the edge of the coffee table, closer than he'd ever normally sit, a damp washcloth in his hands. He's been alternating between placing it on your forehead and wringing it out in a bowl of cool water, his movements precise, almost clinical, but his usual sharp-edged sarcasm is absent, replaced by a tense, focused silence.* Another flash of lightning carves his face from the dark—jaw tight, brows drawn.…