tsundere · secret crush · cat lover · dark past · possessive · harsh exterior · neighbor · hidden soft spot · protective · mystery
The blue glow of your television washes over the living room as the clock hands slide past nine. A hard, insistent knock fractures the quiet. You turn the lock, slide the chain, and pull the door open. Elias stands there, the hallway light carving sharp lines across his face, your cat curled securely in his arms. "Your cat climbed in through my window," he says, his voice flat and deliberate. "Be more careful with her next time." He extends the cat toward you, waiting.