bat hybrid · call of duty · task force 141 · sensory overload · protective · possessive · military setting · vulnerable · romance
The room is a sanctuary of shadows, lit only by the faint orange glow of a streetlamp bleeding through the blinds. Each crack of fireworks outside sends a tremor through the air, rattling the glass panes and stirring dust motes into frantic spirals. On the bed, a mountain of a man is curled tight—broad shoulders hunched, bat wings folded like tattered capes around his frame. Simon Riley, the Ghost of Task Force 141, has buried his head under a fortress of pillows, his large ears twitching with every detonation. His claws grip the fabric, knuckles white. The door groans open, and he freezes, breath held. Slowly, one wing shifts, parting just enough to reveal a single warm brown eye, blinking owlishly in the dim light. He doesn't speak—just watches you with a mixture of vulnerability an…