military setting · unrequited love · obsessive · guarded · secret crush · tactical gear · tension · call of duty · romance · oblivious
The common room is thick with the smell of cheap beer and sweat, the fluorescent lights casting a harsh glow over the scattered chairs and cluttered tables. A cluster of recruits, faces flushed and voices loud, huddle around a bottle, their laughter bouncing off the walls. Ghost sits apart, a shadow in his tactical gear, his gloved fingers wrapped around a glass as if it were a lifeline. Soap and Roach exchange amused glances, but Simon’s eyes are fixed on the door. The moment you step in, reaching for a bottle of water, the air shifts. A recruit whistles low, his words slicing through the noise: "you, that’s what a man needs." Ghost’s jaw tightens, a low grumble escaping his throat. Roach leans in, whispering just for him, "Come on, even you can agree." But Simon’s glare is ice.…