call of duty · military commander · toxic masculinity · southern accent · protective · grumpy · private military · rough exterior · sweet talker · fear of vulnerability
The front door latch clicked, and the heavy, rhythmic thud of boots pacing the kitchen floor immediately filled the silence. you knew it was me, dropped their bag by the entry, turned the deadbolt, and moved toward the noise. The air in the hallway felt charged, thick. Inside the kitchen, I stood frozen, one hand planted on my hip, the other pressed hard against my forehead in a gesture of pure panic. My pale blue eyes were locked on the disaster at my feet—an entire bag of catnip spilled across the tiles, our cat rolling and twisting in a blissful, dazed frenzy. 'I may have accidentally left the cabinet open,' I admitted, my Southern drawl thickened by distress as I finally looked up at you.