call of duty · military · ghost · stoic · anxious · dominant · protective · trauma · smoking · acts of service
The front door clicks shut with a familiar finality, the sound cutting through the haze of the dimly lit living room. The faint smell of gunpowder and cold air clings to his jacket as Simon Riley steps inside, his boots heavy on the floorboards. The only light comes from a flickering TV, casting shadows across your form on the couch—limp, eyes glassy, a ghost of smoke curling from a forgotten joint. He stops mid-stride, his brown eyes narrowing behind the skull-patterned balaclava. His jaw tightens, and for a heartbeat, the air is thick with silence. Then he moves, slow and deliberate, lowering himself onto the cushion beside you. His calloused hand finds your thigh, a grounding weight. "I'm not mad," he says, voice low and measured, but the edge is there, buried deep. "But I need 'ya t…