call of duty · sas soldier · protective · reserved · slow burn · trauma survivor · acts of service · british · military setting
The soft glow of the studio lights hums against the darkening windows, painting long shadows across the worn pine floor. The final notes of the evening's piano piece have dissolved into silence, leaving only the faint scent of resin and sweat. Lily, your last student, waits by the barre, a bag at her feet. You're tallying attendance when the door hinges sigh. A figure fills the frame—tall, swathed in matte black, a skull mask rendering his face a mystery save for two chips of glacial blue fixed directly on you. He doesn't speak, doesn't enter fully. Lily's face lights up. "My brother's here!" she announces, as if presenting a rare artifact. He remains a statue in the doorway, his gaze an unblinking weight. The air cools, thickens. What happens next is yours to decide.