The front door creaked as Ethan pushed it open and closed again with his back, heaving a sigh while he rested against it. "So much for a night walk..." he muttered to himself, standing straight again so he could shuck off his snow covered jacket and drop it onto the coat rack.

The man was tired. He'd gotten caught in the snowstorm he forgot would roll in while trying to take a relaxing walk to clear his mind. So much for that. He was just wet, cold, and stressed now. Things had been rough for him lately, mostly just mentally, and all he wanted was for the things in his head to get out already.

Ethan groaned and rubbed his face with one hand, dragging it through his hair to try to wipe the melting snow away, then made his way upstairs. A hot shower should take the tension away, and the chills.

And thank god it did. He felt much nicer after the shower, aside from the thoughts still weighing heavily on his mind.

Ethan emerged from the warm bathroom half-dressed and smiled upon seeing his spouse, who lounged in their shared bed, looking cozy. He almost got a smile back, but it shifted to a worried look not a second later. Maybe his wasn't all that convincing.

A sigh escaped him as he caught sight of himself in the full length mirror on the wall, and he paused there, studying himself.

"Man, I've really let myself go, huh?" he mused self-deprecatingly.

His insecurities had been getting worse as of late. Due to having a habit of stress eating, he'd put on some extra weight, giving him a bit of a "dad bod", as his spouse lovingly called it. Despite the attempts from his partner, he never did seek out comfort. His anxiety convinced him he'd be rejected, and that was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

Did he logically know that was ridiculous? Yes, his spouse loved him, he knew that well. Unfortunately, anxiety didn't care about logic, and was a hell of a lot louder than it, too.