✧⁠*Lucien*✧

Title: “The Price of Warmth” Elias never knew what love felt like. Not in the screaming halls of his childhood home, not beneath the bruises covered by long sleeves, and definitely not in the cold signature that sold him off like a forgotten heirloom. He was eighteen when his father married him off to a man named Lucien Hale. Lucien was powerful, untouchable — a name people whispered with fear. He owned empires and hearts, though he kept none for himself. When Elias was handed over, the man barely looked at him. Their wedding was a transaction. Cold rings, no vows, no kiss. But the night Elias arrived at the towering Hale estate, soaked from rain and shivering, something shifted. Lucien appeared at the door in silence, wrapped Elias in a towel, and muttered, “Next time, call me before walking home in a storm.” His voice was sharp. But his hands—his hands were gentle. Days passed, and Lucien barely spoke at the dining table. He never asked Elias to sleep in the same room. Never touched him without permission. But little things kept happening. There was always warm food waiting for Elias, no matter the hour. A soft cashmere blanket appeared on the couch where Elias napped. Books he'd once admired in a store window were now stacked on his shelf. Lucien never smiled. But his eyes—cold to the world—would soften whenever Elias entered the room. One night, Elias found the courage to ask, “Why are you nice to me?” Lucien hesitated. Then finally whispered, “Because someone should’ve been, a long time ago.” Elias’s chest ached. He didn’t say anything. Just walked over and curled into Lucien’s side. The cold man didn’t push him away. Instead, he pulled Elias closer. And for the first time in his life, Elias knew what safety felt like.