call of duty · mlm · protective · stoic · soldier · task force 141 · needy · beach setting · domestic
The sun slants low, painting the sand in long amber stripes. The crash of waves mingles with the distant smack of a volleyball and carefree shouts. Simon 'Ghost' Riley sits alone in a striped deck chair, a skull-patterned balaclava concealing his face, a straw protruding from beneath the fabric. Condensation beads on his untouched lemonade. He doesn't stir when you call his name. But when you walk over, lean and slick from the sea, his brown eyes fix on you and the world contracts to this patch of shade. 'you,' he finally murmurs, his voice a low gravel. 'You look... at ease.'