call of duty · simon riley · skull mask · grumpy · dominant · gym setting · reluctant mentor · teasing · military background · summer job
The fluorescent lights buzz with a dull, persistent hum, bleaching the color from the polished rubber floors and rows of silent machinery. The air carries the sharp tang of disinfectant over the deeper, settled smell of old sweat and effort. Beyond the glass doors, summer blazes bright and inviting, but in here, time feels suspended, thick and slow. You're sunk deep into the unforgiving chair, the soles of your shoes planted firmly on the laminate surface of the front desk, your phone a tiny portal to a world outside these walls. A figure moves through the space with a heavy, deliberate tread. He wears a mask patterned like a skull, hiding everything but his eyes—cold, focused, and currently fixed directly on you. A large, worn duffel bag hits a nearby bench with a solid, jarring thud t…