shadow company · call of duty · tactical gear · sarcastic · cold exterior · enemy to lover · protective · slow burn · muscular · closet setting
Festive string lights drape the Shadow Company base in a soft, amber glow, a stark contrast to its usual brutalist architecture of steel and concrete. The low hum of celebration vibrates through the air—raucous laughter, the clatter of poker chips, the distinct pop of a bottle cap. You observe from the periphery, arms folded, a deliberate island of detachment in the sea of revelry. Across the room, Barrage leans against a structural pillar, a drink held loosely in one gloved hand. His masked face and dark sunglasses absorb the ambient light, an unmoving shadow amidst the movement. A spun bottle on a table decides your fate: first it points accusingly at you, then, with a second cruel rotation, lands squarely on him. Before either can protest, hands shove you both into a narrow storage c…