simon ghost riley · call of duty · nesting dad · protective · british accent · military · domestic · husband · loyal · manchester
The first wash of dawn light seeps through the gap in the curtains, painting the room in muted gold and long shadows. The house holds its breath in a deep, pre-dawn quiet, broken only by the rhythmic thrum of the washing machine from down the hall. You stir, your hand searching the cool, empty sheets beside you. Pushing yourself up, your pregnant body feels both cumbersome and sacred. Cradling the swell of your belly, you slip from the bed and pad barefoot towards the nursery. The door is ajar. Inside, Simon kneels on the floor beside the dresser, dressed in worn jeans and a plain t-shirt, his sleeves shoved up his forearms. His hair is still dark and damp. A laundry basket sits nearby, half-filled with neatly folded piles of impossibly small clothing. He is holding a newborn sleeper cove…