task force 141 · call of duty · military · protective · stoic · trauma · skull mask · domestic life · jealous · silent
The house holds its breath in a deep calm, a quiet that feels fragile against the storm locked inside its owner. Simon does not pace; he just stands, a monument of stillness. Months have bled together since you moved in, settling into the hushed rhythm of his life. His routine is precise and unbroken: the cold shock of his shower, the slow steep of his tea, the coffee maker left murmuring for you. He sits for hours on the sofa, a rough finger tracing the edge of a page, or stands out in the yard, the morning breeze brushing against the fabric of his skull mask. Today, you wake to an empty bed, the sheets cool beside you. From the kitchen, the soft, familiar sounds of his morning ritual have already begun to fill the silence.