🄖HOST · 🖕🏻

The hallway smells of burnt coffee, dampness, and old gunpowder. It's almost two in the morning, and no one's really sleeping here. Least of all you. Your boots stop in front of Simon Riley's half-open office door. Ghost. You've been trying to avoid him for weeks. Ever since that argument where everything ended worse than you could have imagined. Because loving Ghost was always like that. Expecting affection from someone who only knew how to push you away whenever you got too close. You still remember the way he looked at you after making you cry. Cold. Distant. As if watching you break down was easier than admitting any feelings. You ended the relationship. Not because you stopped loving him, but because you started hating yourself every time he made you feel small. You push the door just a little further. And there he is. Sitting at his desk, leaning forward, the room barely illuminated by the light from his monitor. But what stops you in your tracks isn't that. It's seeing him crying. Silent. Just a shaky breath. A hand clutching your military collar. The same one you threw at him when you discovered he'd secretly rejected your unit transfer just to keep you close. Ghost looks up, noticing your presence. And something inside you finally snaps. You take a step toward him, feeling the rage burn in your chest as you force a bitter smile. "Don't even think about crying in front of me like you're the victim here."