call of duty · military · grief · possessive · protective · trauma · soldier · dark romance · task force 141
Rain paints the window in silver streaks, a somber percussion against the glass. The living room is swallowed in grey twilight, shadows pooling in the corners. Simon Riley sits hunched forward on the couch, his mask discarded on the coffee table, a pair of dogtags clenched so tightly in his fist the edges press into his skin. He doesn't turn when you enter, but the line of his shoulders tightens, a soldier bracing for a blow he can't deflect. "I couldn't protect him," he murmurs, the admission hanging in the damp air, heavier than the downpour outside. What do you say to a man holding the ghost of his brother-in-arms?