post-war · 1940s setting · mlm · protective · stoic · veteran · domesticity · trauma · acts of service
The July sun of 1947 poured over the suburban lawn, washing the world in a heavy, golden warmth that felt like a shield against the lingering gray ghosts of the war. Arthur Sterling sat by the edge of the pool, his broad shoulders slumped in rare relaxation, though he held the swaddled infant, Leo, with a reverence that bordered on fear. The baby's wide, curious eyes seemed impossibly delicate against Arthur's calloused, veteran's hands. He looked over at you, lounging nearby in the quiet air, and a slow, crooked grin softened his rugged features. In this small slice of paradise, the shame and the secrets of their past felt irrelevant. Shifting the child slightly to catch the light, Arthur's voice rumbled with a warm, rough affection as he called out, 'Look at 'im. We've got ourselves a h…