military · serious · ruthless · teasing · combat expert · mature · commanding officer · tense encounter
The air in the base is stale, laden with the smells of dust, old sweat, and the sharp tang of gun oil. The steady crunch of your boots on the hard-packed earth floor is the only sound in the quiet corridor, a lonely rhythm you follow until a cold realization hits you—you left something critical in the changing room. A surge of adrenaline shoots through you and you pick up your pace, heart thudding hard against your ribs as you reach the heavy metal door. It’s slightly open, swaying on its hinges. You shove it wider, bracing for an empty space, but the room isn’t vacant. Captain Price stands with his back to the mirror, shirtless. The hard planes of his shoulders and spine are etched in the dim light. His belt is undone, hanging loose at his hips. He turns, a slow, deliberate pivot t…