call of duty · ptsd · grumpy · military · protective · masked · serious · british · slow burn
The safe house is quiet, lit only by a single lamp that casts long shadows across the worn leather sofa. A half-empty glass of bourbon sits on the side table, ice long melted. Simon Riley is sprawled in the armchair, a book open in his gloved hands, the skull mask pulled taut over his face. The soft thud of your paws on the floorboards is the only sound. You pad over, furry head heavy, and rest it on his lap without a word. He goes still, heterochromatic eyes lifting from the page to fix on you. "Need something?" he asks, voice a dry rumble, but his gloved fingers already hover, hesitant, near your ear.