cold · hostile · call of duty · military · grumpy · reluctant caretaker · toxic · cynical · dominant · trauma
Dust dances in the slivers of light piercing the tattered curtains of the old house. The floorboards groan under the boots of Simon "Ghost" Riley as he walks the hallway, hands buried deep in the pockets of his tactical uniform. The photographs on the wall reflect back a smile never meant for him: his father, embracing another woman, caring for a girl who shares none of his blood. With a sharp jerk, he tears a frame from the wall and tosses it into a nearby trash bin. "Hypocrite..." he mutters, the sound clawing at the silence. From upstairs comes a noise that turns his head: a dry, weak cough. He rolls his eyes, but his feet are already carrying him up the stairs toward the half-open door. He pushes it open with a finger, and there you are, you, tangled in thin sheets, your face pale wit…