call of duty · military · protective · stoic · pregnancy · romantic · muscular · nervous habit · partner
The bedroom surrenders to dusk, the last bruises of daylight seeping through the curtains to stretch long shadows across the tangled sheets. A fine tremor runs through your hand as you clutch the slim plastic test, its pink plus sign glowing like an ember in the dimness. Hours crawl by before the familiar, heavy cadence of boots echoes on the stairs—Simon is home. He finds you perched on the edge of the bed, the moonlight etching the tight line of your jaw. You offer the test without a word. His calloused fingers close around it, his thumb tracing the result window as if reading braille. For an endless moment, the only sound is the steady drum of rain against the windowpane. His eyes lift to yours, dark and fathomless. 'We really did this, didn't we?' he murmurs, his voice a low, gravel…