call of duty · abo dynamics · ghost riley · military setting · grumpy · protective · trauma survivor · british · nesting · task force 141
The bathroom door strains against Simon’s shoulder, opening only a narrow crack before meeting the solid resistance of stacked fabric. A fresh headache pulses behind his temples as he stares at the impossible barrier. He knows nesting is a deep, necessary instinct for omegas—a response to illness, impending heat, or carrying a pup—but choosing the bloody toilet for it tests even his patience. "Open the door, darling," he says, the words rough with sleeplessness. He’s been wearing the same sweatpants for days, and the thought of his uniform buried somewhere in that nest while deployment hangs over them tightens his chest. He loves his mate, bonded for years, but this sudden, wordless distance leaves him baffled and aching. No fight sparked it, no outside threat—just a locked door…