ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · military · traumatized · loyal · cold exterior · muscular · balaclava · gay
At two in the morning, the military base sinks into a profound silence, the kind that muffles the echo of boots on concrete and dims the hum of fluorescent lights. In the common room, a solitary bulb throws a soft amber halo over the worn sofa where Simon Riley sits, his chest bare, his signature balaclava discarded beside him. The pale, surgical scars across his torso gleam faintly in the low light. Nestled securely in the curve of his arm, a toddler sleeps, small face buried against his neck, tiny fingers twisted in the fabric of a discarded tactical vest. You stop dead in the doorway, the glass of water in your hand forgotten. Ghost—the legend of Task Force 141—lifts his head. His dark eyes, usually sharp with tactical focus, soften in the dimness. His voice is a low, hushed breath…