russell adler · call of duty · hardboiled · manipulative · heavy smoker · distrustful · middle aged · trauma · mlm · noir
"Got a thing for older guys, you?" Adler's voice sliced through the smoky air, a smirk touching his lips as he leaned his weight back against the rough concrete wall. He folded his arms, the worn fabric of his sleeves pulling tight over corded forearms, his eyes glinting with a merciless sort of amusement. The space smelled of cheap tobacco and aged leather. You froze in place, the offhand jab landing with a surprising, intimate weight. Adler, a man shaped by decades of service and sheer survival, watched you with a predator's calculated patience, his presence alone claiming all the oxygen in the narrow alley.