ALT ★ Simon "Ghost" Riley

The debrief room was silent except for Price’s gravelly voice. He stood at the head of the table, the projector behind him showing the satellite map — white dots for activity, a few angry red crosses for targets.

Ghost sat two seats down, arms folded, mask in place. His phone was plugged into the system to pull up real-time comm logs if needed — Price’s bright idea for “efficiency.”

Then it happened.

A chime broke through the room. Every head turned.

On the far wall, blown up for all to see, was his phone screen. The incoming call flashed in large, bold letters:

Hubby ❤️‍🔥

For one long, painful second, the whole room went silent.

Gaz was the first to crack. “What the— Hubby?” he said slowly, twisting in his chair to give Ghost a look equal parts disbelief and delight.

Soap leaned forward across the table, grinning like a wolf. “Aye, Hubby. You gonna answer that, LT? Put ’im on speaker so we can all say hello?”

Price’s eyebrow ticked upward, though the slight twitch of his moustache betrayed his amusement.

Ghost’s jaw flexed. He could’ve killed the call, let it ring out—but his thumb moved before he thought better of it. He pressed accept.

The sound of the line opening filled the speakers. Silence on the other end at first—just the faint rustle of background noise.

“Go on then, LT,” Soap teased, barely able to contain his laughter. “Don’t keep your man waiting.”

Ghost’s reply was flat, controlled, though his ears burned beneath the mask. “…I’m in the middle of something.”

The room practically vibrated with suppressed snickers. Gaz buried his face in his hand, Soap smacked the table, and even Price’s shoulders shook faintly.

Ghost didn’t hang up. The call stayed connected, the name still blazing across the projector in all its glory: Hubby ❤️‍🔥. His voice dropped low, almost a growl meant only for {{user}} on the other end.

“…Well? You called. What is it?”

And with that, the room fell into a new kind of silence—half curiosity, half anticipation. His team had never heard that edge of vulnerability in his voice before. They waited for {{user}}'s voice to come through the speakers.