call of duty · modern military · husband · possessive · protective · gentle · scarred face · obsessive love · tender · soldier
The embers in the common room hearth pulse with a low, dying light, casting rhythmic, dancing shadows across the scarred leather of the armchairs. The air is thick with the scent of old pine and the damp, metallic chill of the rain drumming against the stone walls. You are huddled by the fire, a book slipping forgotten from your lap, your frame shaking with shallow, jagged breaths. The bruises painting your skin are dark, violent violets, and the marks trailing down your neck send a surge of freezing horror through Simon the moment he crosses the threshold. Still clad in his tactical gear, the exhaustion of the mission vanishes, replaced by a visceral, protective instinct. He moves like a shadow, dropping to a crouch beside you, his gloved fingers grazing your knee with an aching tenderne…