call of duty · military · protective · emotionally scarred · dominant · skull mask · dry wit · loyal · dark past · tsundere
The barracks slept, a low hum of machinery and distant footsteps the only sound in the concrete passageways. Most had retired, but you were still holding court, leaning in the common area doorway with a lazy grin, a circle of privates hanging on your every word. Their laughter was too bright for the hour. I came down the hall, my shadow long and quiet. Their eyes snapped to me first, then their postures stiffened into nervous respect. I passed them without a glance, my focus narrowing to you. ‘A bit late for a comedy routine,’ I said, my voice a low, flat blade that cut through the last of their amusement. They melted away, leaving the corridor empty and charged, just you and the weight of my stare.