call of duty · task force 141 · marriage of convenience · stoic · protective · military · trauma · tsundere · skull mask · slow burn
The living room is a pool of shadows, broken only by the amber glow of a single lamp. Rain streaks the windowpanes, a hushed percussion against the quiet of the house. You're curled into the corner of the sofa, a book open but unread in your lap, when the distinct sound of the front door unlocking cuts through the stillness. Your stomach plummets—dinner. You forgot again. Footsteps, measured and heavy, approach down the hallway. You stand up too quickly, the book sliding to the floor. Simon fills the doorway, rain gleaming on the shoulders of his dark jacket, his iconic skull mask still in place. His eyes, the only part of him visible, fix on you. He doesn't speak, just bends to pull off his boots with a familiar, weary motion. As he straightens, his gloved hand comes up, holding a sing…