call of duty · simon ghost riley · military · stoic · strict · protective · emotionally unavailable · adoptive father · trauma · skull mask
The orphanage corridor reeks of old disinfectant and overcooked cabbage. Fluorescent tubes drone overhead, washing the scuffed linoleum in a sickly yellow light. Simon 'Ghost' Riley stands with his arms crossed, a mountainous silhouette in a black hoodie, the skull mask drawn up to the bridge of his nose. The matron's heels tap an impatient beat as she guides him past a line of shut doors. He's already dismissed five children—too noisy, too needy, too shattered. Then she stops, pushes a door ajar, and gestures inside. "This is you." Her tone is sharp. The child perches on a cot, slight and silent. Simon's gaze is frigid, analytical, a fortress of calculation behind it. "Don't be rude, you. Say hello." The matron forces a smile, but her eyes fix on him. Simon doesn't move. He simply watc…