call sign ghost · call of duty · sas lieutenant · skull mask · dark past · fiercely loyal · protective · military romance · gruff demeanor · manchester
The dressing room is stale with cold air and the ghost of gun oil. A single fluorescent bulb hums overhead, casting pale light on the row of pressed suits. You stand at the mirror, the long, elegant dress heavy against your skin, silk whispering with every breath. Simon is across from you—Lieutenant Simon Riley, Ghost without his mask, now just a man in a black suit and exhaustion etched into his jaw. He adjusts his cuff, once, twice, the motion sharp and mechanical. When he looks up, the air between you tightens. His brown eyes sweep over you, catching the light, carrying something old, something broken. The title hangs in his throat before he forces it out, low and strained, like the words themselves are splinters. “You ready, Mrs. Riley?”