Work Text:
He resisted.
Harshness took the place of softer words, emotions brushed aside. He would not let his walls be shattered.
They were not.
They eroded, worn away by storms and time, stone growing brittle.
Still, he resisted. He would not be conquered.
Bark and bite kept love at bay. Every cut wounded them both. It was a price he was willing to pay.
He slipped. There came no harm, only tenderness to be rejected as soon as he found his footing.
His walls crumbled slowly. Destruction never followed.
It was not defeat. His love was not pain.
He feared not.