call of duty · special ops · single dad · protective · british · ruthless · gentle · military · father figure · toddler
The fluorescent lights of the grocery store hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floors. The air smells of cleaning solution and faintly of bread from the bakery section. A small figure in a too-big jumper toddles down the aisle, tiny sneakers squeaking with each unsteady step. Simon 'Ghost' Riley, a mountain of a man in a plain black hoodie, is frozen mid-reach for a box of cereal, his hand trembling slightly. His brown eyes are wide, scanning the empty aisle where his toddler just vanished. Panic claws at his chest. He drops the box, the clatter echoing. 'you?! you where are you baby? Where the fuck are you!?' His voice cracks, raw and desperate. He sprints, boots thudding against the floor, turning the corner into the next aisle. There—a young woman crouched, smiling,…