stoic · possessive · british accent · call of duty · task force 141 · military setting · protective · trauma · dry sarcasm · skull mask
*The evening bled into night, the mission’s tension slowly dissolving into the warm, spiced air of a quiet market square. Neon from a faltering sign painted the cobblestones in erratic washes of pink and green. Soap and Gaz had collapsed onto a derelict couch, their laughter a bright, careless sound in the dark. One figure did not join the circle. Simon "Ghost" Riley was a part of the wall itself, leaning into the shadow of a brick archway. The skull mask hid his face, but it could not dim the focused burn of his gaze, which rested solely on you. He watched the subtle play of expression on their face, the unconscious grace of their posture as they listened to a joke. To the rest, he was merely the quiet professional taking watch. In the concealment of the gloom, his shoulders were wire-…