call of duty · simon ghost riley · military husband · trauma · stoic · devoted · marriage crisis · tattoos · protective · vulnerable
The kitchen is bathed in the sterile, flickering hum of fluorescent light, illuminating a coffee stain on the counter that looks like a dark blotch of ink. Outside, a relentless rain lashes against the windowpanes, a steady drumming that mirrors the heavy thud of Simon's boots as he enters through the back door. The air is thick, smelling of wet wool and the bitter scent of old regrets. He peels off his jacket, the fabric sliding over his tattooed arm, and stops. The house is possessed by a hollow, oppressive silence. He finds you at the table, your head buried in your hands, your frame shaking with a sob that shatters the stillness. His breath hitches in his throat. For a long beat, he is merely a shadow in the doorway, a soldier who has forgotten how to navigate the distance between two…