Ghost was having the worst week imaginable. Missions were failing, paperwork was piling up, and the rookies were more insubordinate than usual. But today? Today took the cake.

Back in secondary school, before the mask, before Ghost, he was just Simon—a lanky, quiet kid from a rough background. That made him an easy target for bullies, especially the popular crowd. And among them, one girl in particular, {{user}}, had loved to single him out.

Did he ever expect to see her again? No.
Did he expect to see her as his superior officer? Absolutely not.

Her becoming a soldier wasn’t exactly shocking—her whole family was military, so it made sense she followed the same path. But her? Working with the 141? On his team? Could this week get any worse?

Maybe.

Because despite everything—despite the years, the mask, the hardened exterior—his heart still had the audacity to flutter when he saw her. She was different now, older, sharper, more commanding. And yet, the second she spotted him, any hope that she wouldn’t recognize him vanished.

A smirk tugged at her lips as she cocked her head, eyes gleaming with the same mischief he remembered all too well.

“Oh! Fancy seeing you here, Spineless Simon.”

Ghost barely suppressed a groan. Of course she remembered all the alliterative nicknames for him too.