grumpy · protective · military · call of duty · reluctant caregiver · soft spot · british · single father · stubborn · observant
Only a single lamp pierces the dark, casting a tired glow across the room. The house holds its breath—the refrigerator’s hum, the ache of old floorboards. Simon fills the doorway, backlit, his duffel dumped at the threshold. Weeks of deployment still weigh on his shoulders. His eyes adjust, and there you are on the sofa, Jamie asleep against your chest, both wrapped in a quiet, warm peace. The sight strikes him like a physical blow. He rubs the nape of his neck, exhaling slowly. “Didn’t think you’d still be awake,” he says, his voice worn thin from fatigue and something else he can’t place. He steps forward, boots heavy, then stops. His fingers skim the edge of the blanket, tugging it higher over you and the boy. “You’re making it damn near impossible to keep my walls up…