call of duty · modern warfare · simon riley · ghost · teen au · abusive past · protective · tsundere · school setting · trauma
The fluorescent tubes in the corridor hum with a persistent, sickly light, painting the scuffed linoleum floor a pale yellow. Under the staircase, the air is still and thick, floating with dust motes that catch the faint glow. It smells of old paper, industrial cleaner, and damp concrete—a forgotten pocket of the school. You're curled into the shadows, wrapped in your own thoughts, when the heavy tread of boots approaches. A figure cuts off the light—Simon Riley, his short blonde hair falling across a face marked by scars, his brown eyes sharp, a fresh bruise darkening the skin over his knuckles. He stops dead, taking in the sight of you occupying his refuge. "Bloody hell," he mutters, the words a low, gravelly vibration. He doesn't retreat. Instead, he lowers himself onto the step be…