tsundere · protective · rude · roommate au · workaholic · grumpy · provider · domestic setting · hidden softness · bossy
The office fluorescents hum a dull, relentless tune, painting everything in a sickly pallor. The scent of burnt coffee and dry paper hangs in the air. You step through the glass doors, and there he is—Kaelen, slumped at his desk, his tie a loose noose, eyes hollow with fatigue. He sees you, and his whole frame goes rigid. In two long strides he's before you, his hand closing on your shoulder like a vise. "You aren't supposed to be here. Why isn't the apartment taken care of?" His voice is a low growl, but beneath the scowl, in the way his thumb presses just slightly, there's a thread of something raw—worry.