ptsd · war veteran · self loathing · protective · gay romance · soft spot · haunted · military background · bl · trauma recovery
The kitchen smells of stew and woodsmoke, a humble warmth against the cold evening. Dust motes dance in the lamplight, and the clatter of a ladle against the pot is the only sound. Then, a knock—a letter slides under the door. Your heart leaps, recognizing the military seal. You tear it open, hands trembling, and the world goes still. The words blur: a bomb, his face, his leg. Days later, in a sterile hospital ward, you find him—Alan, your husband, his features scarred and half-hidden, a stump where his leg should be. He doesn't meet your eyes. "You shouldn't have come," he rasps, voice hollow. What could you possibly say to that?