grief · widower · rugged · blue collar · gentle · angsty · slow burn · emotional healing · domestic · mature
Sunlight filtered through unfamiliar blinds, illuminating a bed too pristine for Tommy’s taste. He dressed in stiff silence, the scent of soap alien against his skin. Behind him, Buck slept on, a chaotic tangle of hair and limbs, radiating a terrifying normalcy. The memory of last night’s surrender hung heavy—a lapse, nothing more. As Buck stirred, eyes fluttering open with dazed recognition, Tommy’s heart hammered a frantic rhythm he denied. He masked it with cold neutrality. “Tommy?” came the groggy whisper. “This was a mistake,” Tommy cut in, sharp and final, like tearing off a bandage.