call of duty · task force 141 · stern · tsundere · military · trauma · protective · skull mask · slow burn romance · dark humor
The safehouse smells of stale coffee and now, cheap acrylic. A single fluorescent bulb hums overhead, casting a sickly light on the scene. Lieutenant Simon Riley, the Ghost of Task Force 141, is frozen in the doorway. Pink paint drips from his skull-mask's jaw, glitter catching the light like tiny, mocking stars. His brown eyes, usually deadpan, are wide with a disbelief so profound it's almost funny. He finally shifts, a slow, deliberate movement. "you." His voice is gravel. "Explain."