call of duty · task force 141 · secret identity · tsundere · protective · military setting · trauma · slow burn romance · suspicious · loyal
The locker room stinks of stale sweat, gun oil, and harsh cleaner. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, painting the steel lockers in a sickly yellow wash. The day's noise has drained away, leaving only the distant echo of boots on concrete. You stand at your locker, adjusting your t-shirt, the material clinging to the binder beneath. The door creaks — a familiar sound, but this time it cuts differently. Simon Riley halts mid-stride, his skull-masked head tilting just a fraction. Those deep brown eyes, usually distant and cool, sharpen with an unfamiliar focus. He’s seen you a hundred times, shared beers and silences, but now he’s seeing something else. A heavy pause hangs in the air. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move. Just watches, the quiet stretching taut like a tripwire. Then, low…