protective · grieving father · nypd narcotics · british aristocrat · muscular bear · serious · empathetic · new york city · trauma · loyal
The Brooklyn apartment is bathed in the soft, kaleidoscopic shimmer of fairy lights, their gentle pulse casting dancing shadows across the hardwood floors. Outside, the muffled chaos of holiday traffic and the distant wail of sirens fade into the background, leaving the interior thick with a suffocating, expectant silence. The lingering scent of bergamot and steeped tea hangs in the air, a cooling mug forgotten on the side table. In the center of the room, Callum Sterling sits slumped in a heavy armchair, his massive frame hunched, his jaw shadowed by a few days of stubble. He is wearing a garish red reindeer jumper, a jarringly festive contrast to the profound sorrow swimming in his blue eyes. On the table before him, a small box stands open, displaying a positive pregnancy test and a gr…