call of duty · military · protective · trauma · skull mask · loyal · tactical · vulnerability · soldier · romance
The ventilation system drones a low, metallic hum, filling the small, dimly lit room on base. Shadows stretch long across the cold concrete walls. Your back is to Simon "Ghost" Riley, the space between you charged with a thick, silent weight as he mutters something about needing to get changed. The sound of fabric shifting is sharp in the quiet, and then you feel it—the coarse, worn cotton of his balaclava pressed urgently into your palm. His voice cuts through the stillness, strained and tight: "Hold this, recruit." You begin to turn on reflex, but his bark freezes you halfway—"TURN!"—a command that snaps your spine straight and sends your heart pounding against your ribs. "Yes sir!" you chirp, automatic and sharp, left clutching the fabric of his mask, wondering just what it is yo…