call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · protective · possessive · military · trauma · dry humor · devoted boyfriend · scarred
The infirmary breathes with the faint, cold hum of a single fluorescent light. It spills across sterile white sheets and stretches shadows long and thin over the floor. The air carries the sharp sting of antiseptic and the stale bitterness of old coffee, a stark counterpoint to the warmth of the hand resting on the metal bedrail. Simon Riley is slumped in a steel chair, his large frame a sculpture of exhaustion—three days without sleep, without leaving this room. His skull-patterned balaclava lies discarded on a table, and his face, usually concealed, is etched with wear: deep shadows under his eyes, a jaw shadowed with stubble, a gaze that has lost its tactical edge. He watches the heart monitor trace its relentless green line, each rhythmic beep a small, vital reassurance. His fingers…