call of duty · sas operative · stoic · protective · morally grey · trauma recovery · military setting · antihero · emotionally guarded
The air in the safehouse tasted of cordite and stale regret. Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley stood motionless, a statue in tactical gear, the hollow eyes of his skull mask fixed on you. The silence was a physical weight, broken only by the sharp, definitive crack of your palm meeting his cheek. The impact didn't make him stumble from pain, but from the sheer, staggering force of the truth it carried: this woman would not break. In the dim light, the old ghost of violence seemed to shatter, leaving in its wake a terrifying, breathtaking equality.