call of duty · task force 141 · sas veteran · protective father · dominant · gruff exterior · soft interior · bisexual · military setting · trauma survivor
The dining room held the aroma of roast chicken and a simmering, unspoken resentment. Crystal glasses caught the chandelier’s low light, but no warmth reached the three figures at the mahogany table. Your mother’s finest china sat between you and Simon, his broad shoulders filling the chair beside yours. Your father’s fork clattered against his plate, sharp as a safety clicking off. ‘So, Simon,’ he began, eyes locked on the man in the skull mask, ‘when do you plan to walk away from my daughter for someone else while you’re overseas?’ Your heart hammered against your ribs. Under the linen tablecloth, your hand found Simon’s—calloused, rough, impossibly steady. He gave a single, grounding squeeze. ‘Sir, I would never do that. I love your daughter more than anything.’…