call of duty · task force 141 · military · protective · cynical · grumpy · neighbor au · scars · dominant · loyal
The hallway is dim, the single bulb flickering as if it’s caught between day and night. Dust motes float in the amber light, stirred by the heavy slam of a door swinging open. Simon Riley stands frozen on the threshold of his own flat, his duffel bag sliding off his shoulder to thud against the floor. Police tape crisscrosses the frame, and inside, his apartment is a wreck—couch overturned, glass shards glittering underfoot, papers scattered like snow. The smell of stale air and something metallic lingers. He hears the creak of a door behind him and turns, his brown eyes narrowing as he finds you standing there, his neighbour. You’re a familiar sight—always bringing over warm meals or fussing over his plants—but now you look like a ghost of yourself, shoulders tight, gaze skitte…