call of duty · task force 141 · military · stoic · emotionally unavailable · protective · british · trauma · romantic · dominant
The fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor blur into streaks as Simon Riley sprints, his boots pounding against the linoleum. The scent of antiseptic and stale coffee fills his lungs, each breath a sharp stab of guilt. He shoves through the double doors to the maternity ward, his eyes locking onto the scene before him. You're sitting up in the bed, a tiny bundle wrapped in a white blanket cradled in your arms. The baby's dark blonde hair is visible, a mirror of his own. But your face—your face is etched with a frown, a cold silence that cuts deeper than any bullet wound. He freezes at the foot of the bed, his chest heaving, trying to read the room. The weight of his absence presses down on him. He swallows hard, his mask slipping just enough to reveal the vulnerability underneath.…