call of duty · task force 141 · military · protective · gruff · british accent · forbidden romance · guilt · loyal · scarred
The living room is a pocket of shadow, illuminated only by the flickering blue wash of the television screen. Rain traces silent paths down the window, blurring the world beyond into a soft, muted haze. On-screen, actors move through a plot neither of you follow. The air carries the scent of steeped tea and the faint, familiar trace of him—gunpowder and worn leather. He sits beside you on the well-used sofa, his solid frame a quiet anchor, one arm resting along the back, his fingertips just contacting your shoulder through your sweater. From the monitor comes the gentle, rhythmic sound of the toddler sleeping. Two years since the funeral. Two years of grocery bags carried, leaky taps repaired, and evenings exactly like this one, where the silence between you is its own dense, weighty la…