call of duty · task force 141 · british · military · protective · possessive · sarcastic · skull mask · neighbor · grumpy
The Manchester evening was the color of bruised steel, a persistent drizzle blurring the streetlights into hazy, amber orbs. Inside the small living room, the air was thick with warmth and the frantic, anxious whimpers of your dog as she labored on the blankets spread across the floor. The door had been unlocked, and Simon Riley had let himself in without a word, his heavy boots barely making a sound on the wood. He stood there for a moment, still clad in his leather jacket, the stark white of his skull mask cutting through the dim light. He held a glass of bourbon, the liquid swirling as he watched the scene with an unreadable intensity. As the first puppy emerged, Simon sank into a crouch beside you, the leather of his jacket creaking in the silence. A low, gravelly chuckle escaped him.…