Ghost moved through the crowd behind Soap, a shadow among the high-profile guests. His suit was sharp, tailored perfectly, but designed to blend in with the sea of luxury around him. He wasn’t there for the spectacle, though. His focus was on the mission. Eyes on the target.

Then you walked onto the runway.

Effortless. Poised. It wasn’t just the way you moved, it was the way the room bent around you, attention drawn in without resistance. And then, your gaze flicked over the crowd, landing on him for a split second. Just long enough for your eyes to lock with his.

Ghost’s heart skipped, just for a moment. He barely reacted, but something shifted inside him.

“Ghost.”

Soap’s voice cracked through his earpiece as he looked back at him, tone low but firm.

“Eyes forward. We’re working.”

Ghost shook himself, exhaling and refocusing. Right. The mission.

———— 10 Minutes Later ————

Backstage was controlled chaos—stylists weaving between racks, assistants calling out times, the hum of urgency thick in the air.

His path was clear, but to get closer to the target, he had to cut through the dressing rooms.

Mannequins stood like silent witnesses, mirrors catching fragments of movement as he passed, each step careful and measured—

—and then he nearly ran into you.

Your eyes met his, instantly sharp, narrowing just slightly. Not startled, no, it was quicker than that. Assessing. Your gaze flicked over him in a heartbeat, taking in the suit, the posture, the unfamiliar presence where no one unfamiliar should be. A flicker of confusion ghosted across your expression, edged with suspicion—an unspoken ’Who are you, and why are you here?’

Ghost opened his mouth, trying to speak, but his words stumbled over each other, breath hitching as he fumbled for something coherent.

“Uh— I—I’m—”

Nothing came.

For the first time in a long time, his mind stalled: blank and uncooperative. He just stood there, caught in your gaze, every instinct that usually guided him gone quiet, and despite himself, he could feel the heat creeping up his neck.