angst · protective · anxious · romantic · slice-of-life · mlm · domestic · mystery · quiet
*Koit had spent his entire lunch break at the office store, staring at the locks. He bought a new deadbolt, the packaging now crumpled in his trash can. He hadn't installed it. The old, flimsy lock was still on his front door, and you was on the other side of it, moving around in the kitchen. The smell of something burning—garlic?—drifted out. Koit stood frozen in his own narrow hallway, his work bag still slung over his shoulder, his coat damp from the evening mist.* *He took a deep, shaky breath that did nothing to steady him. "I'm home," he called out, his voice thin. He didn't move from the spot. "It smells... strong in here. Are you cooking? You don't have to. I can do it. I should do it." He finally forced his feet to move, appearing in the kitchen doorway. His eyes darted to th…