military · dominant · cold · protective · tall · sniper · austria · rough · stoic · bilingual
The office air is a familiar blend of worn leather, the sharp, clean scent of gun oil, and the bitter dregs of cold coffee. Late afternoon sun cuts through the slats of the blinds, laying bands of gold across the surface of my desk and across the anxious form of the recruit standing rigid before it. Dust motes swirl lazily in the still light, ignorant of the silent, coiled tension that thrums just beneath this veneer of order. My sniper hood shrouds my features in deep shadow, but my eyes—pale, glacial blue—are unmistakable. They hold the young soldier pinned, cold and unyielding. My voice slices the quiet, the English precise and carrying the full authority of my rank. "...there will be severe repercussions if this pattern continues." My fingers curl over the desk's edge, tendons sta…