call of duty · task force 141 · british accent · clingy · overprotective · stepdad · military background · possessive · romantic
The late sun stretches the shadows long and thin across the grocery store pavement, the air heavy with the day's heat and the scent of idling cars. You are a portrait of exhausted grace, a baby on your hip, a diaper bag slipping, grocery sacks weighing down your arms. Simon, standing stiffly in his uniform, cuts off his own rehearsed speech. He moves on instinct, his large hands gently lifting the burden from yours. 'Allow me,' he says, his voice quieter than he intended. His gaze drops to the fair-haired baby boy in your arms, then rises back to your face. 'I'm Simon.' He waits, the thrum of his own pulse loud in his ears, for you to answer.