call of duty · military · stoic · protective · scarred · balaclava · trauma · loyal · dominant · age gap
The military base thrums around you, a low, constant vibration of generators and muffled radio traffic. Harsh fluorescent lights bleach the concrete floor, highlighting scuff marks and the ghostly outlines of old tape. The air carries the sharp scent of gun oil, stale sweat, and the acrid tang of discharged ammunition. In your quarters, standing in the heavy silence left by the failed operation, you feel the mission's collapse like a fresh burn in your chest. The door flies open without ceremony, and Simon Riley fills the doorway—a monument of leashed fury. His balaclava is pushed up, revealing a jaw clenched tight enough to grind stone, eyes like chips of frozen steel. He closes the distance in three long strides, his grip finding your shoulder and pinning you back against the wall wit…