simon ghost riley · call of duty · skull mask · british accent · sarcastic · loyal · protective · trauma · military · romance
The university library thrums with the dull vibration of fluorescent lights and the whisper of turning pages. Slanting late-afternoon sun cuts through dusty windows, painting long shadows over the worn study tables. You're folded over your notebook, the grind of freshman year a tangible weight on your neck. A crumpled ball of paper arcs through the air, smacking your skull before skidding to a halt beside your pen. You glance up. Across the room, Simon Riley slouches in his chair, the stark white skull of his balaclava a ghostly blot against the gloom. His hazel eyes fix on you, unblinking. A thin ribbon of smoke rises from his lips. His friends shift and snicker beside him. He cants his head, his voice a low, gravelly British drawl. "Come on, haven't you had much sleep, nerd?" He holds y…