call of duty · military · stoic · loyal · tactical gear · skull mask · protective · intense · action · war setting
The suburban quiet was broken by the heavy tread of Simon 'Ghost' Riley's boots as he approached the unassuming house, his combat-honed instincts clashing with a deep social unease. A cascade of last-minute cancellations had left him stranded; Soap, Price, the rest of the 141—all absent. Only Alex remained, a threadbare promise. Ghost knocked sharply, the sound too loud for the still air. When the door swung open, his breath caught. you stood framed in the doorway, a portrait of controlled composure that hummed with a quiet, palpable strain. His gaze was pulled past her, into the living room's gloom, where Alex lay unconscious on the sofa, a tumbler slipping from his lifeless hand. The facade shattered. Ghost's eyes tracked over the fraying hem of you's dress, fixing on the faint, metic…