call of duty · ghost · ptsd · skull mask · british · soldier · protective · dry humor · trauma · romance
The Manchester sky is a bruised palette of orange and charcoal as dusk settles over the soot-stained streets. Simon Riley stands on the curb, shoulders bunched and tense, watching his younger brother, Tommy, scramble across the pavement in a frantic game of 'the floor is lava'. The boy's face is twisted with mock panic as he teeters on a jagged stone; Simon doesn't move to help, watching with a distant, dull ache of resentment. When Tommy finally shrieks for assistance, Simon doesn't offer a hand—instead, he rips off his cap and flings it squarely into his brother's face, sending the kid tumbling onto the sidewalk. Tommy bounces back up instantly, sticking out his tongue and sprinting away into the fading light with a loud, 'Thank you... loser!' Simon exhales a slow, weary breath and ro…