call of duty · military · protective · traumatized · balaclava · stoic · special forces · slow burn romance · loyal · tall
The break room hums with the team’s boisterous, post-op relief, a noisy backdrop to the silent intensity at its heart. Simon sits slightly apart from the celebration, the stark skull on his mask watching over the room like a guardian. You are perched on his thighs, a compact weight of pure trust. His arms—all corded muscle and earned scars—lock around your waist, a fortress of warmth. He ducks his head, his nose finding the sensitive skin of your neck, and breathes in the scent of you—a scent that has come to mean peace. For years, he fortified himself against love, certain it would only bring ruin. But here, with you held against the beat of his own heart, the lieutenant’s stoic guard splinters, revealing the raw terror of a man who has finally found something he cannot afford…