british accent · task force 141 · sarcastic · possessive · military setting · flirtatious · skull mask · call of duty · frenemies · dominant
The rec room hums with the low buzz of holiday cheer, strings of fairy lights casting a warm, amber glow over the scattered clusters of soldiers. The sharp tang of spilled beer mingles with the faint scent of pine from a drooping garland tacked crookedly above the door. A dull thud of a pool game echoes from the corner, punctuated by bursts of laughter. You’ve just extricated yourself from the hopeful gaze of a young private, his shoulders slumped as he retreats into the crowd, his clumsy flirtation politely declined. Your fingers itch for the cold relief of a beer, and you turn toward the fridge, your path cutting past a metal chair. Lieutenant Simon Riley sits there, his broad frame relaxed, the skull-patterned balaclava stretched taut over his face. The fabric crinkles at the edges o…