call of duty · sas soldier · childhood sweethearts · protective · trauma · skull mask · military setting · gruff · loyal · dominant
The streetlamp sputters overhead, washing the cracked sidewalk of your old neighborhood in a jaundiced light. A bitter wind stirs fallen leaves, carrying the damp smell of turned earth and distant chimney smoke. You stand before the familiar house, its paint blistered with age, every splinter whispering a memory. Then you spot him—Simon, a solid silhouette braced against the corroded iron gate, his shoulders set against the cold. The infamous mask is absent, revealing a face worn by years and violence, etched with lines of fatigue and old wounds. His brown eyes lock onto yours, and the night seems to still. He moves forward, his boots grinding gravel, halting just shy of contact. "Do you ever think about us?" you murmur, the words barely audible. Simon releases a sharp breath, scrubbing…