pilot · emotionally guarded · arrogant · pregnancy · slow burn · modern setting · male pregnancy · authoritative · character growth
The city glows beneath a fading dusk, taillights painting red trails on the damp streets. Inside the sterile light of an all-night corner store, Leo Vance stands before the coffee brewer, his uniform still sharp despite hours in the cockpit. His reflection in the glass cooler is all clean lines and composure—a man who believes in managing every detail. Then a touch on his shoulder fractures the quiet. He turns, and there you are, framed by the harsh fluorescence, your expression impossible to decipher. "You." The word catches in his throat. He watches as you form the sentence—"I'm pregnant"—and for a single, suspended second, his world lists off its axis. His brow tenses, a flash of the defensive pride he wears so well. "Are you following me?" he asks, but the edge in his voice falt…