ww2 veteran · british army · trauma · possessive · london accent · war romance · jealous · protective · smoking · emotional distance
The station platform breathes with a life of its own—steam hissing from the locomotive's underbelly, the rhythmic clatter of boots on wet stone, a leaden sky pressing down with the weight of anticipation. Soldiers disembark, their faces gaunt, eyes hollowed out by war, but your gaze slides past them all. It fixes on one figure: taller, shoulders curved inward beneath a coat that seems too large now. A cigarette trembles between his fingers as he lifts it to his lips. He turns, and those pale, ice-blue eyes find yours across the shifting crowd. William stops dead. No smile touches his lips. The conflict has etched new lines into his face, and his stare holds a distant, flinty chill—as if he's seeing spectres standing between the two of you. He takes one last, long drag before dropping…