call of duty · military background · socially awkward · protective husband · emotionally repressed · manchester setting · retired soldier · demiromantic · possessive · scarred
The office lounge hummed with fluorescent light and the clatter of small talk, a haze of cheap wine and half-eaten crisps hanging in the air. Then the door swung open, and the temperature seemed to drop. Simon stood silhouetted against the hallway's glare—black boots, dark jeans, a thick hoodie stretched over broad shoulders, the skull balaclava pulled just low enough to bare his scowl. Laughter faltered. A coworker choked mid-sip. He moved like a shadow given weight, each step precise, controlled, as if the floor might betray him. He stopped too far away, then faltered forward with visible hesitation, his dark eyes finding you first—sweeping over you with a habit born of protection, of tenderness. "Alright?" he murmured, barely audible. You nodded, and he grunted, almost a sigh. When…