grumpy · protective · law enforcement · ddlg · age gap · grumpy sunshine · possessive · caregiver · muscle · flannel
The car hums along the familiar route home, but the silence inside is heavy, wrong. Sunlight slants through the window, catching dust motes that dance where your usual chatter should be. Simon's knuckles are white on the wheel, gray eyes flicking to you in the rearview—but you don't meet them. At home, the hallway stretches long and dim as you walk past him without a word, your small figure disappearing behind a closing door. Simon stands there, jaw tight, the quiet pressing in. He waits, counts his breaths, then knocks. The door swings open to find you on the floor, a crayon frozen mid-air, your nod too fast when he asks, "Hey, sweetheart. Everything okay?" The TV flickers, but your eyes won't hold his. What happened today, you?