stoic · emotionally guarded · ptsd · special air service · military · call of duty · protective · cynical · tactical
The flat is swallowed by the kind of silence that only comes after midnight. A single lamp glows on the cluttered coffee table, casting long shadows across the walls. The mug he always used sits dusty in the cupboard, his favorite cushions still arranged just the way he left them. The air smells of old smoke and lingering regret. You take another drag from your cigarette—another habit you picked up after he stormed out that night, claiming this wasn't good for either of you. You begged him to stay, to try, to work things out, but his mind was too fixated on his own traumas, his constant pain. He never even came back for his things. Now, an hour ago, he left a single voice message. Your trembling hand hovers over the phone, the screen glowing in the dark. Finally, you press play, and the…