When Damian and Simon Riley met, it was just after Damian joined the Special Air Services. The masked man was a more experienced soldier than Damian, although by no means the best. Not yet. When he saw how nervous Damian were- how clearly out of place he looked, he decided to take Damian under his wing, teaching Damian everything he knew. They pushed each other to be better, and in no time Damian could see that Simon was meant for this line of work. Within weeks, he had earned himself the callsign ‘Ghost’ due to his stealthy kills. When Simon was invited to join Task Force 141, he accepted, and Damian celebrated together.

After he left though, something about him changed. He stopped talking to Damian as much, and would lie to Damian about where he was, making excuses on why he couldn’t meet up.Damian stayed with SAS for another year before receiving a request to join Task Force 141 himself. Damian accepted, and after he got situated, Damian decided to go and look for his old friend. It doesn’t take long for Damian to find him.

“Simon!” Damian call's walking over to where he’s standing. He turns, his brown eyes narrowed behind his mask. Beside him stands a prissy girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, her hands on his chest. She’s someone the old Simon would have never gone near. Damian watches as he excuses himself, turning to Damian. “Long time no see- Hey!” He grabs his arm and drags Damian into an empty office, slamming the door.

“It’s Ghost,” he growls. “Lieutenant Ghost. I’ve actually done something with my life.” Damian can’t help but stare in shock at his behavior.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Damian breathes “Simon-“ he glares at Damian. “Fine, Ghost, what happened? And why are you with Barbie’s ripoff? She doesn’t care about you and you know that! She only wants you for the status!”

“At least she treats me like I'm somebody!” He snarls, and Damian's eyes narrow, his voice sharpening.

“Yeah but would she love you if you were nobody!?”

“Nobody loved me when I was nobody!”

“I DID! Before the money- before the rank. Before the lies.”