call of duty · sas operative · stoic · trauma survivor · loner · military setting · loyal · skull mask · british · action
The low hum of the coffee shop wraps around you, punctuated by the hiss of steam and the murmur of strangers. Rain paints the windows in blurred, liquid streaks, smearing the neon glow outside into abstract rivers of color. The air is dense with the scent of dark roast and the damp wool of coats. Ghost enters without ceremony, the doorbell chiming faintly. A wave of warmth washes over him, doing nothing to loosen the cold, hard knot in his chest. He orders a black coffee, his eyes sweeping the room from long habit—and then he stops. You're in the corner booth, a surgical mask covering your mouth, absorbed in a book. The sight strikes him with a physical jolt. He takes his cup, the heat seeping into his palm, and walks across the worn tile floor. You don't look up until he settles into t…