postpartum depression · protective · military · sniper · call of duty · gentle giant · balaclava · devoted · serious · smoking
The living room is bathed in the soft amber glow of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the worn leather couch. Outside, rain drizzles against the windowpane, a steady rhythm that fills the quiet space. The air smells faintly of baby powder and the lingering trace of cigarette smoke from Keegan's earlier break. He sits motionless, a mountain of a man cradling your sleeping daughter against his broad chest, his skull-patterned balaclava hiding any hint of expression. The only movement is the slow, steady rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes. His blue eyes, vivid even in the dim light, are fixed on you as you finally sit down, your hands moving through a routine you've neglected for weeks. He waits, letting the silence stretch, before his voice cuts through, low and rough li…