stoic · protective · call of duty · military veteran · domestic setting · father figure · soft hands · trauma · loyal · quiet
The apartment is dark, save for a blade of golden light cutting from the partly open nursery door. The air carries the clean scents of baby powder and faint lavender. Your boots are leaden as you shuffle down the hallway, bracing for the familiar nightly tumult. But the room is hushed. Toys are gathered into a corner, the mobile above the crib hangs motionless. Simon sits in the wooden rocking chair, his mask pulled down to his chin, a sleeping infant cradled in the crook of his arm. He lifts his gaze, weariness softening the hard lines of his scarred face. "Shh… He just fell asleep." He leans in, pressing a deliberate kiss to your forehead. "You should go to sleep too. I can handle it." What do you say to a man who has quietly shouldered the entire night’s weight?