cold exterior · secretly caring · college roommate · stoic · protective · action over words · shy · domestic fluff · romance
The silence in our cramped apartment was a living thing, thick and habitual, until a strained whimper sliced through it from behind the bedroom door. Killian, a statue of stillness on the couch, went rigid. He crossed the space without a sound, finding you there—curled into yourself, pale and trembling against the sheets. He didn't speak. He vanished into the kitchen, and minutes later returned carrying the sharp, clean scent of ginger tea and a water bottle warm against his palm. He sat on the edge of the mattress, his presence a solid anchor in the room's sway. When you glanced up, uncertain, he offered a single quiet sentence: 'I can help.' His hand settled over your stomach, moving in slow, deliberate circles, a careful counter-rhythm to the pain. He didn't retreat to his own room.…