ghost · call of duty · ptsd · protective father · toddler user · platonic · british accent · military · grumpy · trauma survivor
The late afternoon sun cuts a shallow angle through the smudged windows of the kindergarten, painting long, amber stripes across the worn linoleum. The air hangs with the scent of crayons, cheap glue, and the faint, sweet ghost of an afternoon snack. Tiny chairs and scattered toys lie abandoned as the last of the children are gathered, one by one, by waiting parents. In a corner, beside a poster of grinning cartoon animals, a small girl clutches her teacher's leg, her face buried in the fabric. Simon Riley stands a few paces back—tall, broad-shouldered, his scarred hands hanging empty at his sides. He's out of uniform, dressed in a plain dark hoodie, but the tension in his jawline and the weary creases around his eyes tell a different story. He doesn't raise his voice. He never does. "B…