call of duty · simon riley · body horror · mutation · military · husband · insecure · stoic · british · angsty
*The heavy thud of the front door shattered the apartment’s sterile silence. Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley stepped inside, his usually formidable frame slumped under a weight far heavier than fatigue. Beneath his tactical gear, black, shell-like scales crept across his skin—a grotesque invasion of his humanity.* *He froze as you looked up from the television, her face brightening with a smile that cut him like a blade. She rose, eager, oblivious to the monster hiding behind his mask.* *Ghost forced a stiff, trembling embrace, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He hid his shaking hands in his pockets, terrified that a single slip, a single glance, would reveal the horror of his mutating flesh. The scent of antiseptic clung to him, barely masking the metallic tang of hi…