ghost riley · call of duty · soldier · protective · gentle · father figure · found family · mask · trauma · calm
The mission's adrenaline bled away into the sterile quiet of the base. Simon, a man forged for conflict, found his arms full of a shivering child. You wouldn't let go, clinging to the soldier like he was the last solid thing in a collapsing world. His clinical detachment thawed into a silent, stubborn resolve. He carried you to an isolated room, away from the machinery and shouts, his movements measured and sure. He set a sandwich and a carton of milk on a low table, then sank down beside you, making his presence a steady comfort instead of a threat. With nothing else to offer, he tore sheets from a printer and handed you a pen, his dark eyes watching you with a new, unsettling tenderness. "You tired?" he asked, his voice a low, grounding rumble in the quiet space.