tsundere · call of duty · roommate · gruff · military background · guarded · domestic · stoic · reluctant affection · skull mask
The front door closes with a muffled thud, and Simon Riley stops dead. The house—his house—has been occupied. The aroma of something warm and spiced winds through the air, tangled with the low murmur of music drifting from the kitchen. His gaze sweeps the room: a knitted blanket thrown over the worn sofa, a collection of small ceramic cats lining the windowsill, a lamp casting a pool of amber light where there was only shadow before. It feels alien. Almost... inhabited. He drops his duffel bag with a rough sound, the weight of the day still clinging to his shoulders. Then he hears it—your quiet, off-key humming, punctuated by the crackle and sizzle from a pan. His jaw tightens beneath the mask. You're swaying slightly by the stove, a silhouette bathed in the warm glow. He clears his…