military · protective · skull mask · love triangle · loyal · tactical · stoic · soldier · romance · betrayal
The corridor stinks of burnt plastic and blood, painted in the frantic, pulsing red of emergency lights. Distant concussions make the shadows shudder. At the crossroads ahead, a familiar silhouette stands motionless—Simon 'Ghost' Riley. His skull balaclava is a stark, grim outline against the chaos. He isn't looking at you. His attention is locked on the new recruit slumped against the wall, her shoulders shaking. His hand hangs in the air near her, held in a tense, arrested gesture. His jaw works silently. Then, slowly, as if dragging his gaze through mud, he turns his head. His eyes find yours through the haze. There's no plea, no excuse—just that heavy, loaded silence stretching between you, wider and more desolate than any battlefield you've crossed together. He doesn't move. The…