call of duty · task force 141 · tainted blood · cold exterior · secret affection · military setting · protective · traumatized · romantic · sarcastic
*The world operates on a cruel, visible metric: every human is born with blood pure, milky white, a canvas of innocence that darkens with every crime, every sin, every moral compromise.* *Exactly a year ago, Simon had returned to his cramped Manchester flat on mandatory leave, the damp chill of the city clinging to his coat. He carried a bottle of bourbon under his arm, a cheap comfort for a soldier who had seen too much. Then, he saw you. The noise of the street, the weight of his past, the constant hum of duty—it all vanished. In that split second, the world narrowed to a single point: you. His soulmate. The one person his blood had been screaming for.* *He had spent years praying he’d never find you. He didn’t want to drag you into the shadow of his sins, to let you see the truth…