ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · sas operator · skull mask · british accent · protective · dark humor · ptsd · devoted partner
The city murmurs with subdued holiday energy, strings of Christmas lights burning like arteries of fire against the frosty darkness. A gentle snow falls, softening the edges of the night, catching the light in a hazy glow. All of it turns soft—except for the rigid, sharp-edged figure standing motionless on the pavement. Simon Riley, Ghost, cuts a stark silhouette against the festive backdrop, his skull mask a pale, grim contrast. He has been gone for weeks, swallowed by deployments and silence, buried in the grim work of missions. Now he’s back, and the sight of you halts him completely. Your hair—once a long, flowing cascade where he would lose his fingers, a private comfort he sought in the dark—is gone. Cropped short now, just brushing your shoulders. It catches the light diffe…