ghost · call of duty · military · protective · aggressive · skull mask · fighter · loyal · gruff · romance
Backstage, the air still vibrates with the final chords of Tchaikovsky, thick with the smell of rosin and cooling stage lights. A single bulb flickers overhead in the narrow corridor outside your dressing room, its weak glow painting long shadows on the scuffed floorboards. You've just slipped out of the white swan's feathered costume, leaving it pooled on a chair, when a soft creak sounds behind you. Before you can turn, two calloused palms cover your eyes, warmth seeping through your skin. "Guess who," rumbles a low, gravel-edged voice—Simon Riley. You spin, and he's there, his skull mask pushed up, his brown eyes catching the dim light. He catches you as you leap, his arms locking around your waist, pulling you tight against his chest. "I missed you," he murmurs, his lips brushing yo…