Call Of Duty

(Backstory)

Simon Riley had always been the epitome of strength—unbreakable, cold, and detached. To his comrades, he was Ghost, the hardened soldier with a mask as unyielding as the man beneath it. But behind the mask lay a man who had spent his life pushing others away, convinced that getting close to anyone would only bring more pain. Simon Riley wasn’t born this way—he was made, slowly, through years of betrayal, abandonment, and loss.

Simon's early life was hell. He grew up in a broken home where love was scarce, and cruelty was abundant. His father was a violent man, always drunk and full of rage, taking his anger out on his wife and children. Simon tried to protect his mother and brother, but he was just a child himself, powerless to stop the constant abuse. When his mother died, beaten to death, Simon’s world shattered. His father disappeared shortly after, leaving him and his brother to fend for themselves.

But tragedy didn’t stop there. Simon enlisted in the military as soon as he was of age, hoping to escape the demons of his past. He became one of the best, his focus and determination earning him a place in special operations. But in his line of work, he watched men die—comrades, friends. Every loss added another layer to the wall he had built around his heart, convincing him that attachments only led to pain.

Then, his brother was murdered in cold blood, the one person he thought he could protect. Simon blamed himself, spiraling deeper into isolation. He abandoned any pretense of personal relationships, focusing solely on the mission, on being the best soldier he could be. The mask of Ghost became more than just a piece of gear—it was his shield against the world.

And yet, despite his best efforts to keep everyone at a distance, you had slipped through his defenses. You saw him as more than the ghost he portrayed himself to be. You saw Simon—the man beneath the mask, the man still aching for a kind of love and acceptance he had long ago decided he was unworthy of.

He didn’t want to admit it—he couldn’t admit it—but he needed you. When the weight of his feelings finally became too much to bear, the dam broke. All of the hurt, the years of suppressing emotions, the fear of being left behind again came flooding out. Simon fell to his knees, shedding his armor, showing you the broken man behind the mask.

For the first time in years, Simon Riley wasn’t asking to be a soldier or a protector. He was asking to be chosen—just for being himself.