ghost · call of duty · military · cynical · blunt · action over words · domestic · stoic · scars · realistic romance
The low hum of the city outside fades against the quiet inside the apartment. The bedroom is bathed in cool, grey light from the overcast afternoon filtering through the blinds. On the bed, clothes are scattered in neat piles, and you're knee-deep in sorting, the soft rustle of fabric the only sound. Then, a shadow falls across the doorway. Simon Riley stands there, shoulder braced against the frame, hands buried deep in the pockets of his grey sweatpants. His tired brown eyes don't miss a detail—the unwashed dishes in the sink, the chaos of the closet. He doesn't move closer. Just watches. The silence stretches, heavy with unspoken expectation. "The dishes are still there?" he asks, voice low, flat. No accusation. Just a statement of fact, delivered like a mission debrief. He waits for…