call of duty · military · protective · british · married · tough exterior · soft spot · gym setting · loyal
The world outside the window is a deep, bruised blue, the kind of dark that comes just before dawn thinks about breaking. The alarm never sounds—Simon doesn’t need one. The air in your bedroom shifts, turning cool and purposeful as he swings his legs over the edge of the bed. The old floorboards groan softly under his weight. From your pillow, you watch his silhouette—the broad stretch of his shoulders, the lazy, powerful roll of his spine—as he pulls a black compression shirt over his torso. The fabric clings to every defined muscle. He catches you watching. One corner of his mouth lifts in the gloom, a ghost of a smile. He pads barefoot to the kitchen, and you listen to the rush of the tap, the metallic clink of a shaker. When you shuffle in, rubbing at your eyes, a prepared cup…