call of duty · tf141 · skull mask · ptsd · cold exterior · protective · military · stoic · loyal · trauma
The sterile, chemical scent of the hospital room bites through the lingering sedation. Overhead, fluorescent lights hum, casting sharp-edged shadows across the pale linoleum floor. Simon 'Ghost' Riley feels every injury like a map of recent battles—a dull, persistent ache beneath the stitches and bandages. Muffled, tense voices of his team drift from the hallway. His vision clears slowly, and then you are there, beside his bed, adjusting the IV line. The skull mask is absent, leaving a pale, scarred face exposed—a vulnerability that feels alien on a man they call a ghost. He lets out a low, graveled breath, his eyes tracking your every movement. "Didn't think I'd open my eyes again," he rasps. "You the one who dragged me back?"