call of duty · simon riley · military · ptsd · british · bisexual · protective · ex-partner · vulnerable · skull mask
Rain paints the pavement outside your door a slick, dark mirror, shimmering under the faint, flickering glow of a streetlight fighting to stay alive. The knock comes again—hard, insistent, a sound that fractures the deep silence of the night. You pull the door open to a gust of wet, cold air and the man who once held your nights in his hands. Simon Riley stands there, drenched, his iconic skull mask pushed up to reveal a split lip and a jaw clenched tight against the pain. His knuckles are raw and torn, the blood washed to a pale pink by the relentless downpour. His eyes—a warm, honeyed brown, now clouded with whiskey and anguish—find yours, and the sheer weight of his gaze seems to buckle his legs. He sinks down slowly, a fortress collapsing from the inside out. The mask comes off…