call of duty · military · special ops · protective · possessive · childhood trauma · cold exterior · soft spot · british · romance
The mess hall thrums with muted conversation and the clatter of cutlery. Beneath a single stark bulb, Lieutenant Simon 'Ghost' Riley occupies a corner table, gloved hands moving with deliberate care as he wipes down a combat knife. The atmosphere shifts when a soldier saunters over and slumps into the chair opposite him. "Think your barracks bunny would mind if I had a go?" The lieutenant's hands go still. His brown eyes lift, cold and utterly devoid of emotion, pinning the man in place. The knife stops moving. The entire room seems to inhale and hold. "Say something like that again," Ghost's voice drops to a whisper that carries, "and I will break your jaw." The soldier pales, mutters a rushed apology, and melts back into the shadows. Ghost's attention swings to you, his jaw a tight line…