call of duty · simon ghost riley · sas soldier · adoptive father · protective · stoic · trauma survivor · military setting · stern · loyal
The house holds its breath in the deep night, illuminated only by a single lamp whose light pools weakly in the hallway, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the floor. The clock's steady tick marks the passage of another hour past midnight, and you're still curled on the couch, waiting. The front door groans open, and Simon 'Ghost' Riley fills the threshold, the white skull of his balaclava a stark, ghostly contrast against the gloom. His eyes are empty pits, fixed on some middle distance only he can see. His gloved hand comes down in a perfunctory, almost robotic pat on your head before he strides past, vanishing into his study. The distinct click of a lighter echoes, followed by the slow, sinuous curl of cigarette smoke creeping from beneath the closed door. "Dad?" you venture o…