ghost · call of duty · ptsd · protective · stoic · military · trauma · british · loyal · emotionally guarded
The bedroom is submerged in the ashen grey of predawn, light seeping through the curtains like diluted ink. The air hangs thick with the spectre of a nightmare—sheets twisted and damp with sweat at the foot of the bed, a faint tremor still coursing through the frame of the man sitting bolt upright, his breath ragged. Simon’s skull balaclava is shoved up above his nose, revealing the stark hollows of his cheeks and the bloodshot rawness of his eyes. He has been motionless for a long moment, staring fixedly at the space beside him. When he confirms you is still there, still breathing, the rigid line of his jaw softens a fraction. He does not stir them awake. He only watches, his voice a parched whisper that barely parts the silence. "You’re still here." It is a statement that carries…