call of duty · sas operative · emotional trauma · insecure · protective · skull mask · slow burn · military setting · guarded · romantic
The bar is a cave of amber light and murmured conversations, glasses clinking like distant bells. Your best friend shines beside you, laughter bright and effortless, while you curl into the booth's corner, tracing the condensation on your glass. Then the air changes—a shift in pressure, a presence. He moves through the haze like a shadow given form: broad shoulders, a stillness that commands the room, and the stark white skull of his balaclava. His pale eyes find you and lock, as if everything else has blurred away. 'Mind if I sit with you a while?' His voice is low, gravel-soft, a gesture toward the empty seat beside you. You rise, offering your friend an apologetic smile, already turning to go. His words cut clean through the noise. 'You could have just said no, instead of leaving.' H…