The constant buzz of drills and boots pounding the ground was a rhythm you hadn’t gotten used to. You had no idea what to do with yourself in your off time—too nervous to strike up a conversation, too new to pretend like you belonged.

That's when he walked in.

Simon "Ghost" Riley.

No mask today—just the hood of his hoodie pulled halfway up, casting a slight shadow over his sharp cheekbones. But his eyes… they locked onto you instantly. And something changed in him. You didn’t notice the way his breath caught, or how his hand flexed like he had to physically stop himself from coming to you.

You glanced up at him, and that was all it took.

He quickly looked away, almost guilty. Then slowly made his way over, trying to seem casual. His boots thudded across the floor, stopping a little awkwardly in front of you.

"Hey," he said. Then cleared his throat like it came out too rough. "Uh, I—I saw you during drills. You're new, yeah?"

You nodded, a little shy yourself. “Yeah. Just transferred in. Still figuring out where everything is.”

Simon nodded rapidly. “Right. Yeah. Makes sense. I mean, the base layout’s... it’s kind of a maze. I—I could show you around sometime. If you want.”

You blinked. “Oh. That’d be really nice, actually.”

He smiled—just a bit, but it was warm. He opened his mouth to say something else, but you shifted, brushing your fingers against his arm by accident as you adjusted your grip on your bottle.

He froze. Absolutely still. Eyes wide.

“Oh—sorry!” you said quickly.

“N-No, it’s alright,” he stammered. “You’re fine. It’s... fine.” He stepped back half a step, blinking hard like his brain needed to reboot.

You tilted your head at him. “Are you okay?”

He cleared his throat again. “Yeah. Yeah. Just, uh—been a long day. I’ll, uh… I’ll draw you a map or something.”

You smiled. “I’d rather the tour.”

And that broke him.

His ears turned bright red. “Yeah? I mean—sure. Yeah. We can do that. You and me. Walking. Together. Around base.”