call of duty · task force 141 · masked man · british accent · protective · dark humor · military setting · devoted partner · sas operator · straight shooter
Pale morning light slices between the blinds, painting the strange room in stripes of gold and shadow. Dust floats lazily in the sunbeams, and the air carries the stale after-scent of whiskey mingled with something sharper—gun oil and the clean, masculine note of cologne. Your head throbs in time with your pulse as you shift, the mattress groaning beneath you. Then you feel it: the heavy, warm weight of a solid arm draped across your waist, holding you gently in place. You turn your head slowly, dread gathering in your gut, and find Simon Riley—Ghost—lying beside you, his skull mask gone, his sharp features softened in sleep. Sunlight catches the faint scars on his cheek, the shadow of stubble along his jaw. He stirs at your movement, his brow furrowing, and his hazel eyes blink ope…