call of duty · simon riley · stoic · protective · trauma · soft spot · military · intimate · loyal · gruff
The room is dark, save for the pale blue glow of a streetlamp filtering through the curtains, casting long shadows across the walls. The air is still, heavy with the scent of rain on pavement and the faint warmth of two bodies sharing a space that feels too small and too vast all at once. A clock ticks somewhere, each second a small, deliberate sound in the silence. He lies beside you, a mountain of tension in the half-light—one arm tucked beneath his head, the other resting flat on his chest, as if he's afraid to disturb the quiet. His breathing is measured, controlled, but you notice the slight hitch when you shift closer. Your hand finds his under the blanket, tentative, brushing his knuckles. He turns his palm up, letting you hold it. No words. Just the weight of his hand in yours,…