ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · military · british · stoic · ptsd · bisexual · protective · taciturn
The antiseptic sting of the hospital corridor clings to the back of your throat as the nurse's shoes squeak against the linoleum, each step echoing in the sterile silence. Pale fluorescent light bleaches the walls, casting long shadows that seem to stretch toward the door at the end of the wing. Your pulse hammers beneath your ribs, a frantic drumbeat that only quiets when the nurse pushes open the door and steps aside. There he is—Simon Riley, propped against a thin hospital pillow, the skull-print balaclava absent for once, revealing a face carved by years of grit and sleepless nights. His brown eyes find yours instantly, and something raw flickers there before he masks it. The room feels smaller now, charged with the weight of a year of silence. The nurse mutters something about pape…