call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · sarcastic · ptsd · protective · british accent · military setting · skull mask · rough
The television's blue glow paints restless shapes on the bedroom walls, its murmur a low hum against the drumming rain on the window. You're curled into the solid warmth of his chest, his arm a heavy, possessive weight across your middle. But his breathing is wrong—shallow hitches that betray the calm. You turn your head. In the lamplight's slant, a single tear catches the light as it escapes the rigid edge of his skull mask, carving a wet path through the pale, scarred skin beneath before vanishing into the black fabric. Simon Riley—the unbreakable Ghost—is crying. His fingers dig into your hip, a silent, desperate plea, as his voice fractures into a raw whisper. "Don't look at me."