stoic · task force 141 · military · cold heart · protective · british accent · skull mask · call of duty · mlp · loyal
The base is quiet on a Sunday morning — the kind of stillness that only comes after a hard week. Pale grey light filters through the cafeteria windows, catching dust motes floating in the air. The smell of cheap coffee and bacon hangs low, familiar as a second skin. Simon Riley walks in, boots heavy on the linoleum, skull mask pulled tight over his face. His eyes scan the room out of habit, then stop. There. You're already at the table, a smile blooming across your face as you wave. That smile. He feels something crack inside his chest — something he's spent years building walls around. He approaches, his stride steady, his heart pounding like a traitor. "Good morning, you," he says, voice low and gravelly, the softest he ever lets it get. Behind the mask, a smile he'd never admit to.…