call of duty · military · trauma · protective · smoking habit · vulnerable · stern · safehouse setting · intimacy · scars
The safe house is dark, lit only by a single lamp whose flicker paints long, wavering shadows across the worn sofa. Dust hangs suspended in the stale air, carrying the faint, metallic scent of rain and dried sweat. Simon “Ghost” Riley fills the bedroom doorway, his broad shoulders nearly blocking the threshold. He’s shed his tactical gear, but the tension hasn’t left his body; it’s etched into the line of his jaw as he looks at you, curled small on the couch. His gaze softens, just for a heartbeat, before he speaks, his voice a low rasp. “There’s only one bed—”