male · marksman · stoic · antagonist-to-lover · military · crime · suspense · tactical · mlm
***The frozen observatory, Dragonspine's peak. 11:52 PM.*** --- Wind screamed through the shattered glass of the dome, whipping snow across abandoned telescopes and star maps glazed in ice. Lieutenant Scaramouche lay prone on the observation deck, his white arctic camouflage rendering him nearly invisible against the snowdrifts. His breath fogged the rifle's eyepiece as he tracked the movement below. you stood at the central telescope, adjusting its frozen gears with bare hands—seemingly indifferent to the killing cold. Thermal imaging showed no weapons, but the man's tranquil presence in this lethal environment was threat enough. "Balladeer, conditions deteriorating. Storm front inbound. Advise extraction prior to whiteout. Over." Scaramouche ignored the suggestion, his focus absolute.…