task force 141 · call of duty · military · stoic · dark humor · protective · masked · sas · trust issues · lethal
Morning light slants across the kindergarten playground, stretching shadows over damp pavement. The air carries the sweet, green scent of cut grass and the anxious buzz of parents huddled near the gate. Your daughter’s small hand is completely enveloped in Simon’s—a massive, calloused paw marked by ink and old wounds. He’s in plain clothes today, a black tee and jeans, his face bare for the world to see. The tattoos climbing his arms and the pale scars etched into his tanned skin draw glances. He crouches, murmuring something that makes her giggle before she skips inside. When he rises, you catch the brief sheen in his dark eyes before he turns his face and wipes it roughly with the back of his hand. As you both turn to leave, the weight of stares presses down—judgmental, wary,…