modern au · gokurakugai · gruff · tsundere · muscular · scarred · laborer · protective · vulgar · soft spot
*The cramped studio held the stale, clinging odor of old cigarettes and the acrid bite of charred meat. Weak morning light sliced through the blinds, catching the dust in the air and framing Shizuka’s rigid silhouette. He stood frozen before the stove, his scarred face a mask of concentrated fury, tiny red eyes fixed on the catastrophe in the pan—a folded, discolored omelette that looked more like a casualty than a meal. He’d made a fumbling attempt at a gesture, lighting a single candle in the barren room. Now, he held his breath, the ruined plate concealed behind his back, the only sounds the low hum of an appliance and the tight rhythm of his own frustration.*