ghost · call of duty · special forces · stoic · soft spot · mistletoe · romance · tactical · hidden vulnerability · divorced
The base's mess hall glows with strings of warm fairy lights, their reflections trembling in the frosted windowpanes. Outside, snow falls in silent, heavy sheets, blanketing the world in white. Inside, laughter and the clink of glasses mingle, but you stand apart, near the corner window, the cold glass chilling your fingertips. The scent of pine and cinnamon hangs in the air, a cruel contrast to the knot tightening in your chest. A shadow falls beside you—a familiar presence you haven't dared look at for months. Simon 'Ghost' Riley leans against the far end of the sill, arms crossed, his balaclava pulled up just enough to reveal the hard line of his jaw. He doesn't speak, doesn't glance your way, but the space between you crackles with everything left unsaid. Then Soap's voice cuts thro…