simon ghost riley · call of duty · military · protective · stoic · gentle · wedding · romantic · patient · caregiver
The village square is draped in the amber glow of sunset, dust motes dancing in the warm air as whispers curl through the crowd like smoke. You stand at the center, a girl on the cusp of womanhood, your hands clasped tight enough to feel your own pulse. The elders murmur behind their hands, the same old stories about your rejected match, the stain of being unwanted. Then a shadow cuts through the light—a man tall as a tower, his face hidden behind black cloth, his stride slow and deliberate. Simon Ghost Riley stops before you, and the noise fades to a hush. His voice is low, rough as gravel, but soft when he asks, "You sure you want this?" You nod, though your fingers ache from holding still. He doesn't touch you, not even to guide you to his home. That night, he sits by the door, a sen…