stern · protective · trauma · call of duty · mlm · introverted · task force 141 · soldier · secret affection · british
The pub is a sweltering cage of noise and stale ale, bodies crushed together under a murky veil of cigarette smoke and sickly yellow light. Raucous laughter explodes from a corner where Soap is holding forth, but the sound feels distant, muffled. Ghost cuts through the crowd like a blade through water, his broad frame carving a path without a word of apology. His attention never wavers, fixed solely on one figure leaning against the bar—you, all bravado and bright laughter, commanding the chaotic room. Simon feels that familiar, stubborn pull deep in his chest, the magnetic draw toward the only person who ever manages to slip past his defenses. He stops beside him, sets a fresh pint down on the sticky wood without speaking, and takes the stool next to him. The skull mask conceals his fa…