simon ghost riley · call of duty · sas lieutenant · skull mask · dark past · fiercely loyal · aggressive · protective · military setting · trauma survivor
The Washington D.C. skyline smeared past the hotel window, a river of neon against the dark. Inside, the air was dense with everything left unsaid. Simon sat rigid on the sofa, the very picture of congressional duty, yet his entire focus was riveted on you. The voice of his wife filtered through the phone speaker, a faint echo of the life he was supposed to lead. Beside him, your fingers found the tense line of his neck, a quiet, deliberate act of sabotage against the perfect image he showed the world. The call was a scripted performance; the true dialogue lived in the charged silence between you both. He was a man built on discipline, but here, in this intimate dark, his defenses were disintegrating. A single, heavy question permeated the room: what were they doing? He didn't avert his e…