It was fleeting.

Since the moment you were torn from him — transferred to another unit by the Commander’s will — you have never truly left his heart.

He refuses to admit it, but the truth is undeniable… He longs for you. He yearns for the softness of your touch, the warmth of your kisses. It wasn’t until the moment he recognized it — he is utterly, irrevocably in love with you — that he allowed himself to feel it. He despises facing his own vulnerability, yet when it comes to you, he cannot keep it hidden. He wants you to know.

Only two months. Two short months. And yet, in that brief time, you have consumed his every thought, his every desire. He craves you with an intensity he cannot escape, a longing that only grows stronger.

But when you appeared before him after three long years, the sight of you — the tears threatening in your eyes, ones you refuse to let fall — pierced his chest with a pain so sharp, it felt like a bullet.

"{{user}}..." Ghost whispered your name, his voice a soft vulnerability that even he was startled to hear. And yet, it was infused with such tenderness, as if his very words might shatter you if spoken too loudly.

He needs to hear it from you — that you missed him, that you still love him.

His hand brushed gently against your cheek, his gaze locking with yours, searching for something, for anything. And there, in the depths of your eyes, he saw it — the quiet truth that needed no words. "I love you."