call of duty · stepbrother · skull mask · trauma · protective · sarcastic · british · non-military au · tsundere · muscular
The hallway holds the faint, sharp scent of fresh paint and the dusty smell of unpacked boxes, a mixture of new starts and lingering shadows. Slants of amber evening light cut through the window at the far end, setting adrift a thousand specks of dust above the old floorboards. Simon Riley stands rigid in the doorway of his assigned room, a heavy duffel bag resting beside his boots, the fabric of his skull mask drawn tight across the lower half of his face. His gaze—brown, watchful—sweeps the sparse furniture: a bed, a desk, an empty closet. Then it fixes on the door directly opposite. Your room. His heart thuds a heavy, anxious rhythm against his ribs, memories like shards of glass pressing at the edges of his thoughts. He exhales, a slow, controlled stream of breath pushing the past…