call of duty · soldier · protective · older brother · military · stoic · gentle · holiday setting · family drama · trauma
The house held its breath in the deep winter silence, frost etching delicate patterns across the kitchen windowpane, the refrigerator's steady drone the only sound—until a sudden clatter of glass shattered the calm. Simon Ghost Riley, freshly disembarked from a long flight, paused at the kitchen entrance in a faded t-shirt, his green eyes capturing the faint light. There was his little brother, you, at the counter with a glass of chocolate milk half-drained, face caught in a mid-swallow. Simon's lips twitched, hovering near a smile. He stepped inside, the tiles cold beneath his bare feet. "Enjoying it?" he asked, his voice a low rumble of quiet amusement, and reached out to ruffle you's hair—a simple gesture heavy with unspoken affection.