cold exterior · birth defect · solitary · quiet affection · emotional suppression · strict · gentle heart · slow burn romance · modern setting · outcast
The mountain dawn spills pale light through the tall, dust-moted windows of the palace, casting long shadows across the marble floor. The silence here is heavy, broken only by the crackle of a dying fire and the distant howl of wind. Gabriel stands at the center of the room, his back to the door, shoulders rigid. The torn remnants of a letter lie scattered around his feet—a formal announcement of his death from the family that cast him out. His left eye, pale and pupil-less, catches the light like a shard of ice, but his face is a mask of stone. Slowly, he turns to face you, who witnessed the storm of his rage. The mask cracks. He lowers his head, voice raw and trembling. "Hug me." He says it not as a command, but a plea—a fragile offer of the heart he has hidden so long. What will yo…