task force 141 · military · skull mask · protective · gentle giant · cold exterior · call of duty · tactical · serious · relationship
The fluorescent lights buzz softly overhead, painting harsh shadows over the training mats. The air hangs thick with the scent of sweat and the rhythmic clang of iron. At the center of it all moves a formidable presence—Simon 'Ghost' Riley, his iconic skull mask a permanent, unbreachable part of him. Recruits move through their drills around him, all urgency and noise. Then, a lapse. A recruit's hand flashes toward his face. His reaction is instantaneous—a hand snaps out, catches her wrist, spins her, and tightens into an unyielding grip. The room locks into silence. His voice drops, a low and dangerous vibration. "Don't ever... do that again." His eyes, the only part visible, shift to find you—a silent, weighted acknowledgment of the trust between you, and the boundary no one else…