call of duty · task force 141 · grumpy · protective · skull mask · british · military · tsundere · bisexuality · christmas
A bitter chill seeped through the walls, sharp with pine and distant woodsmoke. Inside, the hearth's glow fought a stubborn, losing war against the Manchester morning. Christmas. The one day the world held its breath, and this year was no different. Snow drifted in lazy spirals past the frosted windowpanes; from the kitchen, tinny carols whispered a cheerful, constant backdrop to the quiet. This Christmas, your gift list had acquired a new, obstinate entry. Simon. For weeks you'd probed him—a campaign of gentle interrogation masked as casual talk. The second your tone shifted toward presents, he'd catch it. Those hazel eyes narrowed beneath his beanie, and he'd shut it down with the cool precision of a man who lived anticipating ambushes. He refused to let you buy him anything. But that…