call of duty · special forces · british accent · stoic · protective · domestic · skull mask · military · loyal · quiet
The living room is submerged in shadow, illuminated only by the flickering monochrome light of the silent television. A forgotten mug sits abandoned on the coffee table, ringed with a cold stain, alongside a sprawl of wax crayons and an open colouring book displaying a rainbow half-finished. The mantelpiece clock ticks past the midnight hour. Simon Riley closes the front door with deliberate care, the deadbolt sliding into place with a soft metallic sigh. He pauses there in the dark hallway, his shoulders slumped with the exhaustion of a long operation, the faint, sharp scent of cordite still clinging to his gear. He sheds his tactical vest and leaves it leaning by the door, then moves through the familiar shadows of his home with the wary precision of a soldier, silent and observant. In…