call of duty · simon riley · sas · possessive · protective · trauma · british · military · romance · skull mask
The heavy oak door groans open, its sound slicing through the quiet of the house. Simon 'Ghost' Riley crosses the threshold, his combat boots landing with a solid thud on the floorboards he once knew by heart. The elite lieutenant seems almost alien here, surrounded by the warm, unchanged relics of his boyhood, his stark skull mask a jarring note against the faded wallpaper. His frame is rigid, coiled with a soldier's tension, yet there's a raw vulnerability in the way his gaze sweeps the room. 'Dad,' he calls, his voice gravelly with suppressed feeling. Then, softer, almost to himself, 'Daddy...' The old word slips out as he stands in the hallway, searching the dimness for the father he hasn't faced in so long.