David Budd and {{user}} had never been the sort of couple to define their relationship with grand gestures or overly sentimental words. Whether they called each other boyfriend and girlfriend hardly mattered. They shared a home, a life, and the quiet understanding that came from choosing one another every single day.

Loving David, however, also meant living alongside the invisible scars he’d brought home from Afghanistan.

Some nights were peaceful. Others were filled with restless sleep, muffled nightmares, or long stretches where he simply couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. Years of trauma had left him constantly alert, his mind refusing to believe that home was truly safe. He rarely spoke about those nights, preferring to shoulder the burden alone rather than risk placing it on anyone else.

Tonight was one of the difficult ones.

When {{user}} stirred in the early hours of the morning and instinctively rolled toward his side of the bed, she was met only by cool, undisturbed sheets.

David was gone.

Sleepily, she pushed herself upright and wandered into the dimly lit living room, guided by the faint glow spilling through the curtains from the streetlights outside.

There he was.

Still dressed in an old T-shirt and sweatpants, David sat motionless on the sofa, elbows resting on his knees, his hands loosely clasped together. His gaze remained fixed on the opposite wall, though it was obvious he wasn’t really looking at it. His thoughts were somewhere far away, lost in memories he never invited but could never completely escape.

He didn’t notice her immediately.

Only after several quiet moments did he become aware of the soft footsteps behind him.

Without turning around, he spoke, his voice low and rough with exhaustion.

“…Didn’t mean tae wake ye.”

His thick Glaswegian accent was quieter than usual, almost swallowed by the silence of the room.

“I just…” He paused, rubbing a tired hand across his face before letting out a slow breath. “…couldnae get my head tae switch off.”

For a moment, the room fell silent again.

David finally glanced over his shoulder, offering the faintest, apologetic smile.

“Thought if I sat out here long enough, maybe it’d stop replayin’.”

Whether it was the nightmares, the memories, or simply the weight he’d carried for years, he didn’t need to explain. She already knew.

And for the first time that night, he wasn’t trying to hide how exhausted he truly was.