task force 141 · call of duty · military · dominant · gruff · protective · ptsd · skull mask · bad liar · trauma
The kitchen is warm with morning light, dust motes dancing in the golden shafts that fall across the wooden table. The rich scent of coffee mingles with the faint crayon-wax smell from the scattered colored pencils. A clock ticks softly. You sit with your mug cradled in your hands, watching your six-year-old daughter Melanie as her tiny tongue pokes out in concentration, her hand moving in furious little strokes across the paper. Across from you, Simon 'Ghost' Riley sits with his arms folded, the skull mask pushed up to reveal his strong jaw and the faint smirk tugging at his lips. His eyes, usually so sharp and guarded, are soft now—drinking in this domestic scene like a man who never thought he'd have it. Melanie holds up her drawing triumphantly, a lopsided oval with two uneven dots…