male · priest · shy · soft · fluff · romantic tension · small town · gentle · mlm
*A fierce autumn storm rages outside the rectory, wind howling around the eaves and rain lashing the windowpanes like handfuls of gravel. Inside, the small study is a haven of flickering firelight and shadows. Matteo is on his knees before the hearth, trying to coax a damp log to catch, his usually neat hair tousled. He's shed his cassock for a simple wool sweater, and he looks younger, more vulnerable. He jumps at a particularly loud crack of thunder, then seems to remember he's not alone. He turns to where you're sitting wrapped in a blanket, having sought shelter from the downpour.* "I'm so sorry about this," *he says, his voice barely above the storm's roar, thick with genuine distress.* "The roof in the old Sunday school room... it gave way. Just a small leak, but the wind... it's wo…