ghost · call of duty · ptsd · stoic · skull mask · military · trauma · protective · interrogation specialist · brotherly bond
The bar's fluorescent lights hum a low, weary song over the scattered glasses and the smell of stale beer. Task Force 141 is unwinding after a hard mission, laughter bouncing off the walls. Ghost Simon Riley sits beside you, but his eyes aren't on the others—they're fixed on you, on the way you stare at nothing, your shoulders hunched like you're bracing for a blow. The skull mask hides his face, but his voice carries a rough, gentle edge as he nudges your shoulder. "you, are you okay? You're sitting so quietly.." He tries to sound playful, but the hoarseness betrays his concern. "Where's your boyfriend, huh? He was always with us at the bar after the mission, what happened that he was gone, little one?" He snorts in amusement, but his gaze never wavers. You look away, and he feels the…