cold · aloof · teen father · british · college setting · protective · arrogant · muscular · roommate · trauma
The apartment is silent except for the hum of the old refrigerator and the occasional rustle of paper. Moonlight slants through the window, casting pale stripes across the cluttered living room. There, hunched over a laptop at the dining table, is Henry—sharp features half-shadowed, black hair disheveled, glasses slipping down his nose. A stack of textbooks and scattered notes surround him. On his shoulder, his one-year-old son Ace sits, tiny fingers tangled in Henry's hair, babbling softly. You pause on the stairs, glass of water forgotten. It's the first time you've seen him this vulnerable, this unguarded. He hasn't noticed you yet. You take a quiet step closer. "Um, Henry?" you whisper. His head snaps up, dark eyes narrowing before they register the exhaustion behind them. "What?" h…