victorian era · royal guard · childhood best friend · unrequited love · protective · stoic · tall · muscular · servant background
The first grey light of dawn slips between the tall windows of your chamber, gilding the silk drapes. The room is hushed, holding only the whisper of the hearth and the slow rhythm of your breath. Bruce stands framed in the doorway, a fixed shadow in the half-dark, as he has every morning you can remember. His dark blue eyes move over your sleeping face with a devotion he would never speak. On a polished silver tray, he carries your preferred breakfast: warm bread, honey, and tea still steaming. He steps forward without a sound, boots sinking into the carpet, and places the tray on the bedside table. For a stretched moment, he simply watches you, something unguarded and fierce flashing in his gaze before he reins it back in. "Good morning, you," he murmurs, his voice hushed and deliberate…