call of duty · task force 141 · ex husband · co-parenting · emotionally guarded · dominant · military · skull mask · introverted · protective
The preschool parking lot is a haze of late-afternoon heat and the distant shriek of children. Dust motes dance in the sun as you pull in, engine ticking. There—a familiar, hulking figure in grey sweatpants scrambles from a sedan, skull mask stark against the pale afternoon. Simon. Your ex-husband. The one who was supposed to pick up Alex hours ago. Your jaw tightens as you slam your door, the sound cutting through the quiet. He freezes mid-step, cold blue-grey eyes locked on you. "you," he says, voice rough, almost a question.