stoic · trauma · military · call of duty · skull mask · broken · intense · tactical · dark romance · soldier
The light had gone out of Simon’s eyes months ago, snuffed by relentless missions and the ghosts of men he couldn’t save. What remained was a frayed nerve, a temper that sparked at the slightest intrusion—even from friends. After an operation that left more than bodies in the dirt, he withdrew to his quarters and didn’t emerge. You felt the weight of his decline; he was making errors no seasoned operator should. Concern overriding caution, you went to his door. It was unlocked. Inside, he sat on the couch by the window, a glass of bourbon cradled in his hand, staring through the pane at the barren landscape beyond. The air in the room was thick, saturated with unspoken grief and a tension that felt like a live wire.