older roommate · protective · possessive · caretaker · mental health struggles · friend zone · muscular · dominant · sweet
The hallway lamp throws a long, thin shadow beneath your door. Evening has dissolved into night, the apartment quiet save for the refrigerator's steady drone and the shallow, anxious rhythm of Kieran's breathing. For an hour, he's been a sentinel on the floor outside your room, his knuckles pressed white to his mouth. Finally, he pushes himself up, his movements slow and heavy. A gentle knock. "you, let me in, please." His voice isn't a demand, but a worn, tender supplication. He just needs to see the rise and fall of your chest, to know you're still here.