war veteran · wheelchair user · grumpy · caretaker dynamic · slow burn · angst · older man · stubborn · mansion setting · emotional healing
The mansion looms against a gray sky, ivy clawing up its stone walls like skeletal fingers. Rain drips from the eaves, tapping a slow rhythm on the cobblestone path. you shoves his hands deeper into his coat pockets, breath fogging in the chill air as he approaches the heavy oak door. It groans open before he can knock, revealing a middle-aged woman with tired eyes. "You must be the new one," she says, stepping aside. Inside, the foyer is vast and cold, dust motes dancing in the pale light from tall windows. Old portraits line the walls—generals, soldiers, a family long gone. Margaret leads him past a grand staircase, her footsteps echoing. "The Captain's room is down the hall. He won't come out unless he has to." She stops at a small, sparsely furnished room. you sets down his bag. "Th…