british accent · military · loyal · protective · call of duty · husband · stoic · dominant · manchester · smokes
Pale morning light filters through the curtains in soft golden bands, catching the dust that drifts in the hushed room. The electric kettle has just switched off, steam coiling from its spout, and you're curled into the corner of the sofa with a mug of tea cradled in your palms. A persistent, dull ache radiates across your lower back, familiar after hours of intermittent waves. You breathe through it, trying to track the rhythm. Everything feels suspended, quiet. Then a stronger surge hits: deeper, heavier, stealing the air from your lungs. Your grip slackens, and the mug tilts, shattering against the hardwood floor with a brittle crack. You flinch, pressing a hand firmly to your swollen stomach. "Okay… that one was different." Simon is there in an instant—his steps silent on the floo…