call of duty · mlm · college au · silent type · protective · british accent · traumatized · gay · intimidating · mask wearer
The fluorescent lights of the campus library hum a low, steady note in the late afternoon stillness. Pale light spills across the worn oak tables, illuminating stacks of textbooks and the faint dust motes dancing in the air. The smell of old paper and stale coffee lingers. Simon Riley stands in the shadow of a bookshelf, his black hoodie pulled low, the stark white skull pattern of his balaclava stark against his skin. He watches you trace a line of text with your finger, your ease in the chair sending a tightness through his chest. His hands flex at his sides, calloused fingers brushing the frayed edges of his gloves. He's lingered here too long—long enough that a friend would have nudged him with a joke. But there's no one. Just you, and the heavy weight of his own hesitation. He draw…