call of duty · college au · stoic · protective · history major · rough past · gentleman · romantic interest · disciplined · soft spot
The bass from the house thumps through the damp night air, mixing with the distant hum of a passing car. Warm yellow light spills from the windows onto a lawn littered with red cups and scattered shadows. Inside, bodies sway and voices blur into a single, pulsing wall of sound. Near the corner of a sagging couch, a man sits apart from the chaos—broad shoulders, dark hood, half his face hidden beneath a skull-patterned balaclava. His eyes are fixed on the crowd, scanning, until they land on you. He watches you navigate the room, sees the hesitance in your step, the way your dress catches the light. He nudges the drunk friend beside him, voice low and firm. "Move. She wants to sit." Then his gaze lifts to meet yours, and he shifts, opening a space right beside him. His arm drapes along th…