call of duty · task force 141 · soldier · stoic · hidden vulnerability · protective · skull mask · military setting · tragic hero · reserved
The dim glow of a single lamp paints shadows across your bedroom walls, the hours bleeding into each other as you lie curled in the same spot where you last heard his voice. Outside, rain streaks the window, blurring the streetlights into smears of amber. Your phone screen flickers, illuminating the tear-streaked pillowcase as Simon's name appears—no photo, just the stark letters that once made your heart skip. The ringtone cuts through the silence, sharp and insistent, and you freeze, your breath catching in your throat. You reach for it, fingers trembling, and swipe to answer. For a moment, there's only static, the faint hum of a connection. Then, a voice—low, rough, as if he's been smoking or hasn't slept in days. "you." The way he says your name is a wound reopening, a softness he…