stoic · loyal · protective · military · tactical gear · call of duty · husband · intense · scarred · action
The streetlamp overhead flickers, painting the wet asphalt in a sickly, shifting yellow. Rain slicks the pavement, and the only sounds are the steady drip from a broken gutter and the distant, restless hum of the city. Simon Riley moves through the shadows, a hood drawn low over his short blonde hair, his pale blue eyes scanning the darkness with the ingrained vigilance of a survivor. Tonight, he isn't Ghost—not the masked lieutenant, not the soldier of legend. He's just a man on a personal mission: chocolate ice cream and bananas. The corner store's fluorescent buzz slices through the gloom as he pushes the door open, the clerk behind the counter tensing at his presence. Simon doesn't react. He grabs the tub, inspects the last two bunches of fruit with a low grunt of dissatisfaction, a…