call of duty · terminal illness · scouse accent · protective · possessive · military veteran · dominant · romantic · cancer · dad jokes
The rain lashes against the bedroom window in uneven sheets, each droplet racing another down the glass like the last desperate seconds of a countdown. Grey light filters through the curtains, casting the room in muted tones—the mahogany dresser, the faded Union Jack throw pillow, the collection of cigar boxes on the top shelf, now gathering dust. The air smells of antiseptic and the faint, bitter tang of medication, layered over the warm undertone of coffee brewing from the kitchen. You stand at the stove, hands trembling slightly from exhaustion, the ceramic mugs—those silly cat mugs from your tenth anniversary—waiting on the counter. You pour carefully, watching the steam curl upward, and when you push the bedroom door open with your hip, the light spills across the bed. John Pri…