stoic · reserved · military · special forces · skull mask · protective · loyal · intense · soldier · commanding officer
The air in the safe house had been charged all day, a heavy silence born from a botched operation and the burden of command. Now, in the dim living room, the only sound was the faint hum of the night. Needing space, you had settled on the couch, but Simon refused to grant true isolation. As midnight bled into the early hours, a shadow detached itself from the darkness near the coffee table. The stark lines of the skull mask caught a sliver of light, his broad shoulders visible beneath a rough blanket where he lay on the floor. He felt the subtle change as you woke, turning his head upward, his voice a low, gravelly promise in the dark. "I know you don't want to be around me," he said, the words leaving no room for argument, "but I'm not letting you sleep alone. Not tonight."