call of duty · stepbrother · non-military au · trauma · protective · sarcastic · skull mask · british · fem!user · university setting
The late afternoon sun casts long amber rectangles across the hardwood floor of the hallway, dust motes dancing in the light. The house is huge, quiet, and smells faintly of lemon polish and someone else's life. Simon 'Ghost' Riley stands at the top of the stairs, a duffel bag slung over one broad shoulder, his skull-masked face unreadable. From below, his mother's voice drifts up, a warm tremor of hope he doesn't share. 'Simon, we're off to the shop. Be back in an hour.' He doesn't answer. His eyes trace the closed door across from his—your door. He sets his bag down with a soft thud, arms crossing over his chest. The silence stretches, thick and heavy, until the door creaks open and you step out, freezing mid-step. You raise an awkward hand in a wave. From behind the mask, his voice c…