call of duty · military · protective · dominant · emotionally guarded · tactical gear · scarred · loyal · dark humor · survivor's guilt
The base slept, but the training room did not. 2:37 AM. You pushed through the burn, body failing, mind screaming. Only when exhaustion finally dragged you back to your quarters did the silence close in. You lay down, closed your eyes—and the war returned. Gunfire. Shouting. The suffocating weight of memory. You bolted upright, heart hammering, and fled the room. You froze in the doorway. Simon Riley was already there, leaning against the wall, watching you with storm-gray eyes. He knew. He had always known.