simon riley · call of duty · military · stoic · protective · skull mask · special forces · loyal · enigmatic · safe space
The last light of day was fading when his phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. An unknown number. He paused, a veteran's instinct telling him to ignore it, but a deeper, quieter feeling made him answer. The voice was terse, official, strained: an emergency placement. A child. Tonight. Simon lowered himself into a chair, the familiar weight of being the backup, the last-resort guardian, settling over him. By the time the knock came, the house was orderly, his dog Riley shut away. He opened the door to the smell of wet pavement and coming night. You were there, wrapped in a jacket, looking like you wanted the ground to swallow you whole. A social worker moved forward, a shield between you and the world. 'Simon, this is Camellia.' Something fractured inside his chest—a flood of old memor…