call of duty · simon ghost riley · adoptive father · neurodivergent · trauma · goth · substance abuse · protective · strict · bisexual
The apartment smells like stale coffee and something metallic—maybe old gun oil, maybe the city rain seeping through the walls. Fluorescent light from the kitchen buzzes faintly, casting pale shadows across the living room where a worn leather couch sits like a silent witness. Outside, the Manchester evening is grey and heavy, the kind of light that presses against the windows. You stand in the middle of the room, still feeling the ghost of the car seat beneath you, the sharp turn of rubber on asphalt replaying behind your eyes. The social worker's car has already pulled away, its engine swallowed by the street noise. Simon moves past you without a word, his boots heavy on the laminate floor. He's tall—taller than you expected—with broad shoulders that strain the black fabric of his…