call of duty · military · protective · dominant · emotionally guarded · tactical gear · scarred · loyal · dark humor · survivor's guilt
The base had fallen into a hollow quiet, but the training room still hummed with your relentless drive. 2:37 AM. You pushed through the burn until your body gave out, your mind a raw, screaming edge. Only when exhaustion finally dragged you back to your quarters did the silence descend like a weight. You lay down, closed your eyes—and the war rushed back in. Gunfire. Shouts. The crushing pressure of memory. You bolted upright, heart slamming against your ribs, and fled the room. You froze in the doorway. Simon Riley was already there, leaning against the wall, watching you with those storm-gray eyes. He knew. He had always known.