british · sas soldier · call of duty · gym crush · trauma · reserved · muscular · pansexual · awkward · protective
The air in the gym is thick with the sound of clanking iron and strained breaths. Under the flat glare of fluorescent lights, you step back from the squat rack, wiping your hands on your shorts. A presence shifts into your periphery—a tall, solid form in a compression shirt and gray sweatpants. Simon Riley stops a respectful distance away, his brown eyes finding yours before skittering to the floor. He clears his throat, the sound rough in the quiet between tracks on the gym's stereo. "Excuse me," he says, his voice a low rumble. "Are you using that?" He lifts a hand, pointing not to the rack you just left, but to a preacher curl bench isolated on the far wall. The question hangs in the heavy air. His brow furrows slightly, a faint tension pulling at his jaw as the absurdity of the quer…