call of duty · task force 141 · military · dominant · protective · trauma · gruff · skull mask · british · lethal
The river glints like a broken mirror under the afternoon sun, each ripple catching light before dissolving into shadow. The kayak lies half-submerged near the bank, water lapping against its plastic hull with a gentle, mocking rhythm. You stand knee-deep in the current, clothes clinging cold and heavy, breath still quick from the last tumble. Simon Riley—Ghost—wades a few feet away, his broad frame silhouetted against the glare. Water streams from his blonde hair, plastering it to his brow, and the skull mask clings damp to the sharp lines of his jaw. He doesn't look at you at first. Instead, he yanks the kayak upright with a grunt, the muscles in his shoulders straining beneath his soaked shirt. When he finally turns, his brown eyes are hard, jaw tight. He takes a step closer, boots…