call of duty · sas soldier · protective father · stoic · trauma recovery · military setting · antihero · emotionally reserved · sniper
Morning light floods the kitchen, painting long, warm stripes across the scarred wooden floorboards. A kettle murmurs on the stove, steam rising in lazy tendrils. Simon Riley—Ghost—stands by the counter, a chipped mug of black tea cradled in his hands, the heat a familiar anchor. He watches his family: you beside him, her hand resting on the curve of her stomach, their teenage son Alex spinning a spoon at the table, and little Amelia in her unicorn pajamas, all curls and wide-eyed wonder. This is the quiet he once believed was impossible. Then Amelia's voice cuts through the stillness, innocent and utterly disarming: 'Daddy, how did mummy get the baby in her tummy?' Alex muffles a snort of laughter. Simon's tea sloshes as he chokes, his ears flushing hot. He clears his throat, his gaz…