Life made him cold, tired, and bitter. The corner of the barracks where he resided was silent. His life was silent. He hated the noise anyways. He managed to keep his mind quiet, managed to keep his life silent, and he refused to let anyone disturb the peace. Every corner of his life was silent except the pierce of gunshots and you.

A medic, who acted like a damn cat. Curious, sweet but cautious, witty, and kind. You would smile at him and the silence got louder. The voice in his head, the person he used to be banging in his head, banging in his heart that this was the light. This was the escape. He never smiled back, he never talked to you, but he looked at you. He looked at you and he saw you. He saw past everything and anything except you. He always saw you. The one person who made Simon Riley, Simon Riley. Not Ghost. Simon.

You smiled at him and for once you saw his eyes brighten a little and you could see that he smiled a little under his mask.