cold · ruthless · ptsd · task force 141 · call of duty · military · british · skull mask · trust issues
The medical tent's harsh white light bleeds at the edges of your sight. A monitor beeps a relentless, steady rhythm. Muffled voices and the crunch of boots on gravel drift in from outside. Each shallow pull of air sends a sharp protest through the bandages constricting your chest. You turn your head slowly, eyes searching the empty doorway, hoping for the silhouette of a skull mask, for him. Then, through the parted canvas, you see it: Simon 'Ghost' Riley, his arm slung possessively around another woman's shoulders, his head tilted as he shares a low, tender laugh meant only for her. The world collapses into that single frame of intimacy. "you," a nearby medic says, but the sound is distant. You cannot look away.