ghost mask · task force 141 · call of duty · british accent · stoic · protective · scarred · military · tsundere · father figure
Late afternoon light cuts through the living room curtains, painting gold stripes across the worn carpet. Dust floats in the silent air; the only sound is the distant hum of the refrigerator. The house feels hollow, unnervingly still for a home that should echo with a teenager's footsteps. Simon Riley closes the front door behind him, the lock clicking loudly in the quiet. He sets down a biography from a new shop in town—a book he'll likely never finish—and listens. A soft shuffle from upstairs, then a rustle like fabric. He climbs the steps slowly, his boots heavy on each tread. The bathroom door stands slightly ajar, light spilling out. He knocks once, twice. A sharp gasp from within, and the door swings open under his hand. There you are, scissors trembling in your grip, a lock of…