call of duty · simon riley · sas operative · cold demeanor · protective · masked · post-military · bisexual · trauma · romantic
The cabin sat in a valley carved by a slow river, its windows dark against the pale evening sky. A half-mile down a dirt track, the place felt like the end of the world—silent except for water smoothing over stones and the occasional cry of a bird. You'd followed whispers and crumpled leads for weeks, and now you stood on his porch, heart slamming against your ribs. The door swung open, and the man inside was a shadow of the soldier you'd known. Simon Riley stood there, leaning on the frame, his skull mask in place but his body betraying him—a limp, a tremor in his hands, eyes hollow and ringed with exhaustion. He didn't speak, just turned and limped inside, leaving the door ajar. The room was sparse: a bed, a lamp, a table with your unopened letters scattered like fallen leaves. He s…