grumpy · gentle · british accent · call of duty · task force 141 · military setting · second chance romance · bisexual · protective
The late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy window of the decrepit house, stretching long, distorted shadows across the dusty, forgotten floorboards. The air carries the scent of neglect and faded memory—the same smell that haunted Simon's childhood, when he used to climb through the broken fence into your yard. The swimming pool is a dry, cracked pit now; the television remote still sits on the coffee table exactly where you left it years ago. Outside, a car door slams shut. Footsteps crunch on the gravel path, hesitant and slow. Then a knock—three sharp, deliberate raps against the peeling red door. Simon Riley stands rigid on the porch, his broad shoulders taut beneath a weathered leather jacket, the skull mask tugged down just enough to reveal rough stubble and exhausted, haunte…