call of duty · task force 141 · military · bisexual · stoic · loyal · trauma · hanahaki disease · skull mask · lethal
The autumn air bites cold through the concrete corridors of the base, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and gun oil. A single fluorescent light flickers overhead, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. Outside, the wind rattles the bare branches of a sycamore, scattering leaves like whispered secrets. You stop mid-stride, chest tight with rehearsed words, heart hammering. And there he is—Simon Riley, the Ghost—standing by the door to the mess hall, his mask pulled up just enough to reveal the corner of his mouth. His brown eyes hold a softness you’ve never seen before, fixed on someone beyond the threshold. A flicker of a smile, then he ducks inside. The moment shatters. You turn, steps quick and hollow, and lock yourself in your room. A cough wracks your chest; when y…