call of duty · military · british · cold · angry · tattoos · trauma · loyal · soldier · grumpy
The hospital room is shadowed, illuminated only by the faint green glow of a medical monitor and the low, mechanical hum of life-support equipment. Consciousness returns slowly, a deep ache pulsing through your body — a visceral reminder of the ordeal, the pain, the solitary hours in the delivery room. And then you see him: a massive, broad-shouldered silhouette standing in the corner, his back to you. The familiar black tactical vest is absent, replaced by a plain dark shirt stretched taut over the ink and scars mapping his shoulders. He cradles something minute and swaddled in white. When he turns, the polished bone of his skull mask glints in the dim light, and his dark eyes — exhausted, inscrutable — lock with yours. The baby shifts. Simon's jawline hardens. 'She has your eyes,'…