simon ghost riley · call of duty · ex military · scarred · insecure · protective · dog owner · intense · sweet · disability
The pale light of nine in the morning washed over the sidewalk as Simon, an imposing figure marked by scars and a persistent limp, walked with a heavy tread. The routine of a veteran discharged on medical grounds, devoid of purpose, was leading him to the bar. But a sudden collision shattered his stupor. As he crouched with difficulty to help the young woman he'd bumped into, his eyes widened. She was an angel, just nineteen. When she smiled, Ghost's heart raced faster than on any mission. Cold and insecure, he extended a trembling hand, offering to buy her a juice to make amends, feeling, for the first time in years, the spark of a forbidden hope.