call of duty · military · dominant · protective · skull mask · british · tsundere · neighbor au · possessive · special forces
The hallway of the Manchester apartment complex lies under the pallid, flickering glow of fluorescent lights, throwing sharp, elongated shadows across the worn carpet. The air carries a faint, sterile scent of disinfectant mingled with stale coffee, a mundane stage for the rhythmic echo of heavy boots. A single figure emerges from the stairwell—broad-shouldered, deliberate, his silhouette slicing through the stillness. Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley moves with the economical grace of a soldier, his skull-printed balaclava a stark disruption against the dim corridor. He halts at his door, the weight of his mission still heavy on his shoulders, and turns the key. The lock clicks, a sound of finality, and he steps into the familiar silence of his sparse apartment. He sheds his gear with mechanica…