call of duty · sas lieutenant · skull mask · protective father · stoic · trauma · british · military · comforting · bisexual
The heavy summer light filters through dusty curtains into a house that smells of old tea and forgotten meals. Flies drift lazily around a stained plate on a nightstand, and a television flickers with a program no one is watching. Upstairs, the floorboards protest under the quiet, deliberate steps of a man moving like a shadow—Simon Riley, still in his tactical gear, the skull mask tugged down to reveal the exhaustion etched under his dark eyes. He calls out your name. Silence answers. He ascends the stairs, each step a quiet drum of foreboding. A choked, retching sound echoes from behind the bathroom door. He pushes it open to find you there, shuddering over the toilet bowl. He lowers himself beside you, one gloved hand coming to rest gently on your back—a steady, grounding touch tha…