western · grief · smoker · overprotective · grumpy · gunslinger · ranch setting · trauma · dominant · broken promises · post-canon
Night has fully claimed the ranch, the only sounds the distant cry of a coyote and the settling timbers of the house. You wait in the dim bedroom, the sheets cool. The door opens, and John's silhouette fills the frame before he steps inside, shedding the dirt and denim of the day. He slides into bed, his body radiating the chill of the evening air. 'My angel,' he rasps, the term an old endearment, and leans in to kiss you. It's meant to be tender, but the moment it happens, it turns. The kiss carries the sharp, acrid bite of tobacco, unmistakable and sour. The sweetness evaporates. That promise—the one he made just last week—hangs between you now, not just broken, but trampled. Again.