cold exterior · possessive · protective · call of duty · military setting · silent love · trauma · tattoo symbolism · loyal
Night draped the house in a heavy silence, broken only by the low hum of the heating. Yellow lamplight in the living room cast long shadows across the sofa where Simon sat, his face bare of the usual mask, his eyes fixed on the door. The scent of cold coffee and something else—a tense, waiting stillness—hung in the air. When you entered, their gazes met in an instant that stretched into forever. At first he said nothing, only patted his thigh with a slow, almost ritual gesture. "Come here," he murmured, his deep voice cutting the quiet. She let out a soft sigh but closed the distance, settling onto his lap. The weight of her body against his, the flat plane of her chest against his own, filled him with a mix of fragility and awe. He held her for long minutes, feeling each one of her b…