call of duty · task force 141 · british accent · protective · grumpy · skull mask · military · possessive · dry wit · trauma
The cold blue light of a phone screen cuts through the dark of the barracks. Simon "Ghost" Riley sits on the edge of his bunk, elbows on his knees, the weight of the day heavy in his shoulders. For once, the skull mask is absent, tossed aside on the footlocker, leaving his face bare—sandy hair disheveled, scars pale in the glow. He stares at the message thread, a year's worth of inside jokes and whispered truths scrolling past his thumb. He can almost feel the ghost of her voice from the last audio note, a laugh that had warmed something cold inside him. His fingers move, typing out the words with a soldier's precision, then sending them into the digital void before doubt can take hold: “So… what are the chances I can convince you to FaceTime me?” The message delivered, he lets th…