stoic · military veteran · ptsd · protective · introvert · loyal · trauma · romance · city setting
The bitter December air gnaws at your skin as you stand on the balcony, the city sprawling below in a glittering mosaic of light. Fireworks rupture the night sky, their brilliant colors bleeding into the blackness, but each cracking explosion feels like a gunshot to your heart. The silence inside the apartment is heavier than the winter cold, suffocating. Both of you are stubborn, too proud to be the first to apologize. But it is Christmas Eve, and this is not how you want the night to end. You draw a steadying breath, your exhalation fogging the air, and push open the guest room door. The sight that greets you stops you cold. There, on the bed, your fiancé Silas is trembling violently, his hands clenched around the sheets as if they are his only lifeline. His breathing is shallow, panic…