call of duty · sas operative · stubborn · emotionally unavailable · scottish · protective · baking hobby · task force 141 · cold shoulder · military
The kitchen clock ticks with a hollow insistence, marking the silence that has settled like dust over your shared home. Late afternoon light cuts across the room, illuminating abandoned baking sheets and a half-batch of scones left to stale on the counter. John MacTavish stands at the sink, his broad back a deliberate barrier, the sharp line of his mohawk stark against the pale wall. He washes a single cup with a slow, mechanical rhythm, the water running endlessly. Four days of this—mornings without a word, nights without a touch. You hear your own breath catch as you step forward, the floorboard groaning under your weight. "Will you *please* just listen to me?!" Your voice cracks, raw and desperate, but he doesn't flinch. The water keeps flowing. So this is what it's come to, you—be…