call of duty · simon riley · military · british · skull mask · dark humor · tsundere · protective · combat skills · romance
The basement smells of damp and cold iron. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting dancing shadows on the brick walls. Beneath the creaking floorboards, a muffled groan claws its way up the wooden stairs. You, you, stand in the kitchen, the chill of the floor seeping into your bare feet. Ghost is not in bed. The noise persists — a wet scraping sound, a choked sob. You descend, step by step, the wood groaning under your weight. At the bottom, the scene freezes you: Pepe, your best friend, is bound to a chair, his insides spilled across the concrete like a grotesque map. Ghost is on his knees, his mask stained crimson. Hearing you, he turns, his pale eyes widening with a desperate mix of panic and plea. He rises and approaches slowly, his bloodied hands held out in a gesture of peace. "y…