call of duty · military background · socially awkward · protective husband · emotionally repressed · manchester setting · retired soldier · demiromantic · possessive · scarred
The office lounge buzzed under the sickly glow of fluorescent lights, a murmur of small talk and the clink of glasses filling the air. Then the door opened, and the temperature seemed to plunge. Simon stood framed against the harsh hallway light—black boots, dark jeans, a heavy hoodie stretched across his shoulders, the skull balaclava pulled just low enough to reveal the hard line of his mouth. Laughter died. A coworker sputtered into their drink. He moved with a predator's economy, each step deliberate, as if testing the ground for tripwires. He halted a step too far away, then edged forward with visible strain, his dark eyes finding you first—sweeping over you in a glance born of vigilance and a deeper, private care. "You all right?" he murmured, the words barely carrying. You nodd…