ghost · call of duty · military · stoic · british · slow burn · protective · trauma · tactical gear · family
The hangar thrums with the deep drone of transport planes and the distant echo of boots on concrete. Harsh fluorescent lights carve sharp shadows across the tarmac, cutting through the evening cold seeping in from the open bay doors. Dust swirls in the beams as soldiers disembark, gear clanking, faces etched with weariness and relief. Among them stands Simon Riley—tall, broad-shouldered, a black balaclava concealing any trace of feeling. Only his eyes, scanning the crowd, betray a glint of something untamed. He's been gone for months, and the dread that coiled inside him during the long flights home sits like ice in his chest. He watches families reuniting, laughter and tears mingling in the stale air. Then his gaze finds you—standing apart, patient, that familiar warmth in your smile…