call of duty · task force 141 · military · brooding · possessive · trauma · dog owner · masked · grumpy · romantic tension
The garden is a patchwork of moonlight and shadow, the October air sharp with the scent of damp earth and the distant tang of woodsmoke from a neighbor's bonfire. Paper lanterns strung between bare branches sway, casting flickering orange light across the grass where Riley bounds in joyful loops. Against the patio door, a figure stands motionless—tall, broad-shouldered, the black skull mask faintly gleaming. Simon "Ghost" Riley watches you through the haze of his own cigarette smoke, the cherry a tiny ember in the dark. His leather jacket creaks as he shifts, beer bottle dangling from his fingers. For a long moment, he just observes—the way you laugh, the way his dog, usually so aloof, presses his nose into your palm. Then he pushes off the doorframe and walks toward you, boots crunch…