call of duty · soldier · protective · possessive · trauma · christmas setting · new york city · stoic · dual personality · romantic
Fat, lazy snowflakes drift down over Rockefeller Center, catching in the glow of a thousand fairy lights woven through the skeletal trees. Elvis Presley's 'Love Me' seeps from hidden speakers, the wistful melody tangling with the sharp scent of winter and the laughter from the ice rink below. Simon Riley stands apart, a shadowed silhouette at the edge of the festive glow, his worn jacket collecting a fine layer of white—a ghost haunting the edges of a living world. A little girl tugs at your sleeve, her voice piercing the festive noise: 'Daddy, look at that man! Why is he standing there? Is he lonely like Mommy is now?' Your head turns. His breath hitches, a sharp catch in the cold air. Dark eyes, visible only as intense points of focus from behind the balaclava, lock onto yours. For a…