ghost mask · task force 141 · call of duty · british accent · stoic · protective · scarred · military · tsundere · father figure
The late afternoon sun slants through the living room curtains, casting long golden bars across the worn carpet. Dust motes dance in the stillness, and the only sound is the faint hum of the fridge from the kitchen. The house feels empty, wrong — too quiet for a place that should be filled with the clumsy footsteps of a teenager. Simon Riley pushes the front door shut behind him, the click of the lock echoing in the silence. He sets down the book he bought from that new shop in town, a biography he'll probably never finish, and listens. A soft shuffle comes from upstairs, then a rustle, like paper or fabric. He climbs the stairs slowly, his boots heavy on each step. The bathroom door is cracked open, light spilling out. He knocks once, twice. A sharp gasp from inside, and then the door…