stoic · special forces · skull mask · call of duty · british · trust issues · lethal · tactical · mysterious · loyal
The afternoon sun poured honey-gold over the dog park, gilding the grass and catching in the red arc of a frisbee. Laughter and barking threaded through the air, warm and easy. You watched Max, your golden retriever, race in wild loops, his tail a happy blur. Then a shadow cut across the brightness: a tall man in a skull-patterned mask, struggling as a German Shepherd lunged forward. The dog locked onto Max, and the man was pulled off balance, a tangle of leash and muscle barreling toward you. You tried to step aside, but the collision was inevitable—a jolt of shoulder and fabric, the smell of cotton and something faintly metallic. He was already starting to snap, "Watch where you're—" when his eyes met yours. The words died. He froze, halfway through untangling the leashes, his hand…