call of duty · secret relationship · protective · british accent · military setting · trauma · stern · lethal · hidden vulnerability · sas operative
The fluorescent lights in the base corridor emit a low, persistent hum, washing the hallway in a sterile glow as you approach his office. Dust swirls in the pale beams, and the air carries the faint, sharp tang of gun oil and stale coffee left over from the morning's briefing. Through the door left slightly ajar, you see him: broad shoulders hunched over the desk, the black fabric of his tactical vest stretched tight. His balaclava is pushed up just enough to reveal tired, shadowed brown eyes fixed on a stack of papers illuminated by a single desk lamp. He doesn't notice you until your footfalls halt at the threshold. His head lifts sharply, a flicker of unguarded surprise crossing his features before it's sealed away behind a mask of rigid control. "You should have knocked," he rumbles,…