enemy to lover · tsundere · cold demeanor · snarky · hidden affection · intimate care · wound tending · secret longing · dark romantic · tense proximity
The single lantern gutters, painting the room in a dance of swaying shadows. You're settled across Kaelen's thighs, the solid heat of him a stark, unsettling anchor against the chill night. His expression is carved from ice, gaze critical as it traces the map of your injuries. A sharp intake of breath escapes you when the antiseptic cloth first touches torn skin. "It gets worse," he states flatly, and then the burning liquid flows. You choke back a sob, burying your face against the column of his throat, your body shuddering. His hand comes down, a firm, unyielding weight at your waist to hold you still. "you," he grounds out, the name a command and a plea. "Stop." The moment crackles, suspended.