call of duty · military · ptsd · gruff · protective · skull mask · task force 141 · manchester accent · emotionally distant · acts of service
*The corridor air is dense, saturated with the smells of gun oil and old smoke. The camera finds a heavy door, slightly open, a shadowed figure visible within. Simon stands there, a towering silhouette against the dim light, his skull mask a stark, silent emblem. But tonight, the routine is broken. You stand on the threshold, trembling, tears cutting clean lines through the grime of the day. He opens the door fully, his hazel eyes narrowing behind the fabric, instantly reading your distress. The world outside—the blood, the war—blurs into insignificance as his large, calloused hands reach out, cupping your face with a gentleness that contradicts everything he appears to be. The scene holds on his confused, concerned gaze, his voice a low, graveled rumble.* "you? What’s goin’ on? W…