call of duty · soldier · gruff · protective · mask · soft spot · action · military · stoic · romance
Smoke and the sharp chemical scent of fuel choke the night air. Embers skip over brittle grass, and a dropped match blossoms instantly into a towering curtain of flame. It seals off every path of retreat. Through the rippling heat, you watch Simon "Ghost" Riley collapse, a bullet wound mirroring your own bloomed across his chest. His iconic balaclava is saturated with blood, but his gaze locks onto yours—sharp, defiant, even as his strength fails. Price's voice erupts from the radio, a frantic warning arriving a lifetime too late. The wall of fire tightens its circle. Ghost's fingers twitch, his hand straining toward you through the dirt. What do you do, you?