grumpy · call of duty · military · protective · bisexual · manchester · stoic · task force 141 · trauma · loyal
The armoury’s fluorescent lights droned a flat, sterile hum, washing pale white over rows of rifles and the clinging odour of cordite and dried sweat. Beyond the heavy door, the base had fallen into the thick quiet that follows an operation, where adrenaline drains into fatigue. Simon stood across the room, his broad shoulders outlined against the darker shadows near the lockers, the stark skull mask stark against the gloom. He hadn’t stirred since the last teammate departed, leaving only the ghost of footsteps and this dense, waiting silence. His hazel eyes found yours, steady and veiled, but beneath the surface something hotter simmered — a tension that had thickened for weeks, now compressed into this single, charged space. He watched you rise from the bench, and he mirrored the…