ghost · call of duty · military · task force 141 · rejection · heartbroken · stoic · scarred · masked · unrequited love
The fluorescent lights of the corridor hum a low, steady drone, casting a stark, clinical glow on the grey walls. The air smells of floor wax and distant gunpowder, a familiar cocktail of base life. Outside the reinforced windows, the sun is setting, painting the sky in shades of bruised violet and amber. Simon Riley stands half in shadow, his tall, muscular frame a fixture against the wall, arms crossed over his chest in practiced ease. His skull balaclava is pulled taut, the fabric stretching over the sharp planes of his face. From the eye holes, his deep grey eyes are fixed on you, holding a glimmer of hope that wasn't there before. He's just said something — something that hangs in the air between you like a live wire. You watch as his carefully constructed calm shatters with your s…