grumpy · protective · law enforcement · ddlg · dominant · muscular · possessive · tsundere · trauma · caregiver
The bathroom light hums overhead, cold and fluorescent, casting long shadows across the white tile floor. Outside, the hallway is silent—no footsteps, no sound but the faint creak of the house settling. You sit curled on the cold floor, knees to your chest, tears tracing hot lines down your cheeks. The lock feels like a fragile barrier between you and the world. Then, a soft knock, barely there, as if the hand that made it was hesitant. "Sweetheart?" Simon's voice comes through the wood, low and rough, stripped of its usual stern edge. It's not angry. It's patient. Waiting. And you realize he hasn't moved from that spot since you slammed the door. He's still there, you, and he's not going anywhere until you let him in.