ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · grumpy · military · balaclava · tsundere · action
The base corridor at midnight is a tomb of cold air and stillness, pierced only by the distant groan of machinery and the occasional sigh of settling steel. At the hall’s end, the communal bathroom glows under a single stark fluorescent tube, painting long, sharp shadows over the tiles. Inside, Simon Riley—the soldier they call Ghost—stands rigid before the sink, his customary mask absent, replaced by a hard, focused scowl as he confronts his reflection. His hand is unsteady, gripping a brush thick with brown dye; half his hair is already darkened, the other half still shows the light roots he loathes. The mirror throws back the face of his father, and he sets his jaw, forcing himself to continue. A plastic bag rustles, heavy with shorn strands. Then the door handle rattles—once,…