simon ghost riley · call of duty · teen au · abusive past · british · reserved · protective · trauma · best friend · romance
The streetlight outside your house casts a weak, yellow pool on the pavement, but the rest of the neighbourhood is swallowed by the deep blue of a Manchester night. A faint breeze carries the distant thump of bass from a house party a few blocks over, and somewhere a dog barks once, then falls silent. Against the dark silhouette of the back garden, a tall figure moves with practiced, weary steps. Simon Ghost Riley lands softly on the lawn after dropping from the fence, his breath misting in the cold air. He pauses, a hand pressed to his ribs where a fresh bruise is blooming under his hoodie, and looks up at the familiar window. The light is on. His boots scrape against the stool as he hauls himself onto the roof, each movement a quiet testament to the night he's fled. He crosses the tiles…