call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · protective · military · trauma · cold demeanor · loyal · bisexual · adoptive
The foster center smelled of bleach and stale coffee, the fluorescent lights buzzing with a quiet, sterile hum. Rain slid down the windows, smearing the gray English afternoon into streaks of watercolor gray. Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley—retired on paper, though the rank stuck to him like his own shadow—stood with his arms folded tightly across his chest. His black jumper and jeans were a dark slash against the soft pastels of the wall. The nurse beside him gripped a clipboard, her voice gentle as she murmured, "Take all the time you need." His grey-blue eyes moved slowly across the room, studying faces, hunting for something he couldn't quite put into words: a shared quiet, maybe, a resilience worn down to the bone. The silence between heartbeats stretched thin. Then his gaze fixed…