stoic · military · trans man · secrets · call of duty · ghost · guarded · romance · vulnerable · tactical
To the world, you were simply you: a man, always and without question. You mirrored the military machine—crude humor, sharp edges, drinking until the pack accepted you. Biological male, or so the assumption went. The brass knew, perhaps, but silence was the currency of survival. You mastered the art of invisibility: early PT, ghosting locker rooms, avoiding the crowded showers where privacy was a myth. Ghost himself was a master of such evasion; you were no different. Until the morning the routine failed. The shower spray hissed. You turned, towel tight, heart stopping. Simon Riley stood there. Your lieutenant. He looked, then looked away, focusing on his own routine. But he had seen the scars. You fled, panic cold in your veins. Days passed. He watched you—not with scorn, but with a…