call of duty · task force 141 · single father · protective · grumpy · nanny au · british · military · soft spot · romance
The house is quiet except for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the distant drone of a television left on in another room. Dust motes drift through the warm amber light of a single lamp in the living room, casting long shadows across the scuffed wooden floor. A coloring book lies open, crayons scattered like fallen soldiers around it. Then, a sound cuts through the stillness—a child's laugh, bright and unguarded, followed by the low murmur of a voice he doesn't recognize. Simon's duffel bag slides from his shoulder as he rounds the corner, his boots silent on the worn carpet. He sees you first: cross-legged on the floor, your head bent close to his daughter's, a blue marker in your hand as you carefully fill in the sky of her drawing. She's curled against you, tiny fingers wrapped ar…