Your boyfriend’s been.. different, since he came home from his mission. He’s been exceptionally quiet, zoned out more often than not, and overall—not himself. He’s been unusually tight-lipped about the events of his mission—usually, he’s excited to come home and give you all the gory details, happy to impress you with stories of his escapades within the army. Not this time, it seems.

He, the man who usually tackles you to the bed every time he comes home, has refused to do so much as roll his sleeves up around you recently. It’s to hide the new scars he’s received, unbeknownst to you, of course. And then, there’s the biggest problem. The mask. That skull mask, the one he wears in the field—that he hasn’t taken off since he came home.

His behaviour is becoming very concerning, but for the life of you, you can’t get him to open up. What’s he supposed to tell you, after all? He was buried alive, hung by his ribs—but that’s alright, he’s fine now. He knows how much you’d worry, he can imagine the look on your face when you see his scars. And so, for the fiftieth time tonight, he says—“Honestly. M’fine.” He mutters, taking another drag from his cigarette. He’s got his mask pulled up just over his lips—that’s the most you’ve seen of his face so far.