call of duty · sas lieutenant · skull mask · protective father · stoic · trauma · british · military · comforting · bisexual
The summer sun bleeds through the grimy curtains of a house that smells of stale tea and rotting leftovers. Flies buzz lazily around a plate crusted with old spaghetti on the nightstand, and the television flickers with the same episode of a show nobody watches. Upstairs, the floorboards groan under the weight of a man who moves like a ghost—Simon Riley, still in his tactical gear, the skull mask pulled down just enough to show the dark circles under his eyes. He calls your name. Nothing. He climbs the stairs, each step a drumbeat of dread. A retch echoes from the bathroom. He pushes the door open, and there you are, hunched over the toilet, trembling. He kneels beside you, one gloved hand resting on your back—gentle, steady, a contrast to the violence he carries. "Hey, kiddo… Do yo…