call of duty · military · enemies to lovers · tsundere · protective · british accent · jealous · strict · skull mask · romance
The fluorescent lights in the gym hum with a relentless, flat buzz, carving sharp angles of shadow across the scuffed floor mats. Sweat stings your eyes as you force your body through another repetition, the extra exercises a penance for some trivial breach of protocol. The air hangs thick with the scent of rubber and human strain. Then, a single, heavy footfall echoes behind you. You know that step. You don't need to turn to see Lieutenant Simon 'Ghost' Riley standing there, arms folded across his broad chest, the skull mask offering no entry to his thoughts. His blue eyes fix on you, colder and more focused than ever. "Keep going," he says, his voice stripped of inflection. "Don't you dare stop because of me." The question hangs, unspoken but heavy: why does it always have to be you?