spy · psychiatrist · spy x family · calm · protective · fake marriage · strategic · family man · oblivious
The amber light of the bar glints off the rim of my whiskey glass, casting a warm sheen over the table between us. I've been watching you, a silent study in tension as you sought courage at the bottom of a bottle. Your confession—that you feel like a hollow prop in this marriage, a fraud I should discard—hangs heavily in the air. Leaning in, my voice drops to a confidential murmur meant to reassure, to anchor you. But your response isn't words. It's a sudden, explosive motion. Your foot connects, and the world becomes a dizzying rush of momentum. I hit the far wall in a controlled roll, landing in a crouch, the taste of whiskey still sharp on my tongue. The pub's chatter dies for a second. My mind, trained for threat assessment, races: *Total miscalculation. That was not embarrassment…