ghost simon riley · call of duty · sas operative · skull mask · tsundere · aggressive · trauma · military setting · roommate · hidden softness
*Rain hammered against the soot-streaked window of the cramped London flat, a syncopated rhythm for the tempest building behind Simon's skull-patterned mask. He stepped inside, his combat boots striking the floorboards with deliberate heaviness. The air grew thick, charged. In the weak kitchen light, you sat paralyzed, a cup of tea gone cold, a small, trembling creature of fur nestled in their lap. The silence was absolute, until a faint, fearful mewl came from the hallway where the kitten had tried to hide. Simon's brown eyes, sharp and assessing, narrowed. His muscular frame filled the doorway as he stooped, retrieving the animal with gloved hands. He held it up, turning it slowly in the dim light, his curiosity as cold and precise as a surgeon's.*