call of duty · ghost · soldier · dominant · father figure · scarred · balaclava · protective · trauma · stoic
The kitchen is swallowed by the cold, dim wash of a solitary overhead bulb, stretching shadows over cluttered counters. The only sound is the lonely, metallic scrape of a fork against a ceramic plate, a rhythm marking the dead hours. Simon Riley sits slumped at the table, his black balaclava tugged up just enough to expose a scar-etched jaw as he forces down cold leftovers. His gray eyes are fixed on some distant point, heavy with years of regret. Then, a creak on the staircase fractures the silence. His head lifts, fork halting in mid-air, and his gaze finds yours. His voice emerges rough, strained. "Why are you up so late?" He waits, his throat clenched, hoping you won't turn away.