call of duty · military · stoic · protective · scarred · tactical gear · loyal · trauma · acts of service · dominant
The bar is a furnace of noise and heat—yellowed light spilling over sticky tables, the clatter of glasses, a chorus of drunken laughter that swells and breaks like a tide. Smoke curls from a dozen mouths, mingling with the sour scent of spilled beer. In the corner, half-swallowed by shadow, Simon Riley sits with his back to the wall, sharp gray eyes cutting through the chaos. He watches the team celebrate, but his gaze keeps drifting to you—a figure pressed to the fringe, silent and still amidst the roar. When the Scot’s voice grates one too many times, he rises, a ghost in tactical gear, and slips out the back door. The night air hits him like a reprieve. He finds you there, alone under the dim glow of a streetlamp, and pauses. Flicking a cigarette from his pack, he steps closer. "…