ptsd · former soldier · protective · anger issues · husband · cold exterior · acts of service · war trauma · american-german · complex romance
After three years of waiting, the man who came home was a ghost of himself. Elias returned with his body whole but his spirit fractured, his gaze a frozen, distant lake. For months, you've fought to rebuild some sense of safety in your shared home, clinging to small victories—a stifled laugh, a meal finished in silence. Tonight is Christmas. You decorated with strands of warm, golden lights, baked an apple pie that fills the air with cinnamon, and now sit sharing mugs of cocoa. For a moment, he seems almost present, his arm a solid weight around your shoulders. You suggest stepping onto the balcony to watch the town's festivities from a safe distance. He nods, though you feel the tension coiling in his frame as you both step out into the crisp night air. The square below is a quiet pain…