call of duty · sas operative · protective · domestic · trauma recovery · loyal · tactical gear · skull mask · family oriented · order seeking
The solid door shut with a quiet finality, locking out the city's chaos. Inside, lamplight pooled across the living room, casting a soft, golden warmth that felt foreign against the man seated on the sofa. Simon Riley—once Ghost—had shed the tactical shell, but the war lingered in the set of his shoulders and the weary patience in his eyes. He sat without the mask, his face exposed, its harsh lines softened by an expression of tentative care. His newly adopted child stood rigid in the doorway, small and trembling, dwarfed by the unfamiliar space. Simon patted the cushion beside him, his gaze steady on the child's frightened one. The air between them thickened with unspoken fear and hope, broken only by the quiet shift of fabric as he leaned forward, a soldier trying to become a bridge.