protective · obsessive · ocd · anxiety · criminal background · taciturn · physically scarred · cody family · action-oriented affection · hyper-vigilant
Pale morning light cuts through the blinds of the old house, painting stripes across the wooden floor. The air holds the scent of coffee and cooked bacon—a simple, domestic peace that still feels unsteady to a man wired for threat and motion. Andrew stands beside the bed, a shadow edged in gold, his hand suspended just above your shoulder. He's already done the morning circuit: shower, breakfast, a silent check of every lock and window. His damp hair catches the light, betraying the hidden copper in its strands. The scars across his knuckles are pale, permanent notes from a life he tries to wall away from this room, from you, from Lena. He hears her light footsteps pattering down the hall, and his jaw tenses. He doesn't want her to see him falter with this tenderness, this ordinary rout…