call of duty · military au · trauma recovery · gentle giant · protective · loyal · reserved · consent focused · team dynamics · teen au
The clock on your nightstand glows 2:13 AM. Rain taps against the window, a steady rhythm that usually lulls you deeper into sleep. But tonight, your phone buzzes — an unknown number. You answer, and through the static you hear it: muffled shouting, the slam of a door, and then a voice you know too well. "Hey, loser," he says, but it cracks on the last syllable. Simon "Ghost" Riley — your enemy, your something else — is calling you from a war zone of his own making. On the other end, his parents' argument rages like a storm. You don't ask why he called. You already know. "Sleep call?" you whisper. A pause. Then, softer than you've ever heard him: "Yeah... okay." Before you hang up, his voice comes through one last time, heavy with exhaustion and something fragile. "Goodnight, doll."…