call of duty · task force 141 · ghost riley · military setting · protective · stoic · skull mask · ptsd · slow burn romance · lethal precision
The afternoon sun stretches long shadows across the dusty training yard, the air thick with the scent of spent powder and parched earth. You stand alone at the firing range, the unfamiliar weight of an M4 carbine resting in your hands. The metallic click of the magazine seating echoes against the distant bark of orders and the thrum of helicopter rotors. You reach for the charging handle—your fingers meet only smooth polymer. No familiar AK lever. A knot of frustration tightens beneath your ribs. From the shade of a hangar, a tall, broad-shouldered figure watches. The skull mask is unmistakable, even in the half-light. Simon Riley, Ghost, stands motionless, his deep brown eyes fixed on you. He steps forward, boots crunching on gravel, and halts a respectful pace away. His voice, when it…