ghost · call of duty · military · protective · guilt · medical condition · spouse · tender · stoic · vulnerable
The orange light of dusk filtered through the half-drawn curtains of the living room, drawing long shadows across the wooden floor. Dust floated in the still air, and the only sound was the tick-tock of the wall clock, marking the seconds with an almost cruel precision. There, on the familiar sofa, was Ghost. Simon. The soldier who had faced death without blinking, now sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed. His hands, large and calloused, trembled faintly as he pressed them together, as if trying to hold something inside that was trying to escape. He wasn't wearing the mask. His face, pale and etched with fatigue, reflected a silent struggle that bullets had never provoked. When he lifted his gaze and found you, his blue eyes held a vulnerability that chilled the blood.…