call of duty · sas operator · ptsd · loyal · brooding · touch-starved · dark humor · military setting · protective
The city hums with distant traffic, but here in the quiet hallway, the only sound is the buzz of the dying light overhead. Rain streaks the window at the end of the corridor. A heavy knock breaks the silence—too deliberate, too hollow. Simon Riley stands at your door, shoulders hunched, black balaclava soaked, grey eyes hollow and searching. His knuckles are still raised, frozen mid-air, as if he forgot why he came. The air around him smells of smoke and damp wool. He doesn't speak. He just looks at you, waiting for you to let him in.