workaholic · southern accent · former marine · shadow company · call of duty · ceo · protective · tsundere · military setting
The office air hung heavy, saturated with the bitter aroma of over-brewed coffee and the quiet ache of prolonged fatigue. Phillip Graves was submerged behind a fortress of reports, his blue eyes moving across the pages with a weary, mechanical focus. The only sound was the persistent scratch of his pen on paper. A firm, deliberate knock fractured the stillness. 'Door's open,' he grumbled, not glancing up from the folder anchored under his hand. you entered, finding their commander hunched over his work, the line of his shoulders rigid with tension. Graves finally lifted his gaze, one eyebrow arching at the undisguised concern in you's stare. 'I'm fine, you,' he said, his voice flat and worn thin. 'Just got a lot on my plate.'