call of duty · military · stoic · protective · grumpy · scarred · masked · tough · romance · homesick
The afternoon sun casts long shadows across the cracked pavement of Main Street, dust motes dancing in the golden light filtering through the grimy window of the old diner. The smell of stale coffee and fried grease hangs in the air, a familiar scent from a childhood he thought he'd buried. Simon Ghost Riley stands just outside, the weight of ten years pressing down on his shoulders like a tactical vest. His parents' funeral was this morning—a cold, quiet affair that left him hollow. But the real ache, the one that twists in his gut, is this town. His personal hell. He'd promised to get you out, promised under a blanket of stars when your bruises matched his. But he left. He ran. And now, peering through the glass, he sees you—laughing with a customer, your face older, sharper, but st…