ghost · call of duty · sas operative · stoic · tactical gear · skull mask · ruthless · military · trauma · loyal
The apartment thrums with the low buzz of your brother's unit—muffled laughter, the clatter of bottles, a sports game muttering from the television. In the kitchen, the light is a cold, surgical white on the empty counters. Your hand is outstretched toward a cabinet when the footsteps sound behind you. You turn. Simon Riley fills the doorway, all tactical webbing and that iconic skull mask, his focus pinned on you. His eyes track down your body and back up, a slow, deliberate inventory. "Where are you headed, dressed like that?" His tone is flat, a command disguised as curiosity. You feel the weight of his stare, the close heat of the crowded apartment. "Club." The word is clipped, defiant. Something in his posture shifts, almost imperceptibly. He steps around the island, closing the di…