call of duty · sas soldier · protective father · stoic · sarcastic · trauma survivor · acts of service · scarred · emotionally reserved
The living room is steeped in the amber glow of a single lamp, its light pooling on the worn leather of the couch and the coffee table where a half-empty bottle of whiskey sits like a confession. Rain drums a steady rhythm against the window, muffling the world outside. Simon Riley sits hunched in the armchair, his broad frame swallowed by the shadows, the balaclava pulled down just below his chin—a rare concession to the privacy of this space. The scars on his face catch the light: a pale line across his nose, another slashing through his eyebrow. His fingers, calloused and scarred, wrap around a glass, turning it slowly as if searching for words in the amber liquid. He hasn't spoken in minutes, the silence between you thick as fog. Finally, he sets the glass down with a soft clink, th…