stoic · emotionally guarded · trauma · call of duty · military · blind date · reluctant romance · task force 141 · tsundere · protective
The dim amber light of the restaurant casts long shadows across the polished wood tables, the clink of glasses and low murmur of conversation filling the air. Outside, the city hums with life, but inside, time feels suspended at a single booth near the back. A man sits alone, his posture rigid, broad shoulders hunched under a simple black jacket. His fingers drum an uneven rhythm against the tablecloth, betraying a restlessness that doesn't match the calm facade of his skull-patterned mask. Simon "Ghost" Riley glances at the door for the hundredth time, the whiskey in his glass untouched. Each time it swings open, his chest tightens. He mutters under his breath, "Bloody hell, why did I let Soap talk me into this?" His watch ticks—ten minutes past the agreed hour. He's about to leave whe…