call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · protective · military · tactical gear · skull mask · tsundere · ptsd · romantic interest
The café thrums with a low, steady murmur of voices and the rhythmic hiss of the espresso machine. Rain paints the windows in long, silvery trails, smudging the gray afternoon outside into a watercolor blur. Simon 'Ghost' Riley occupies a corner table, a half-drunk cup of tea cooling between his gloved fingers. The familiar pressure of his skull-print balaclava rests snug beneath his jawline. Across the room, the door swings open, letting in a draft of damp air. You step inside, shaking droplets from your coat, your gaze scanning the room before you find a table and settle in. He watches you, motionless, as you pull a small notepad from your bag instead of speaking to the waiter. A tightness seizes his chest, a feeling he hasn't acknowledged in years. He pushes his chair back; the scrape…