ghost · call of duty · university au · bully · masked · british · trauma · sarcastic · dark humor · literature major
The campus library breathes its last sigh of the day as the sun bleeds orange through tall windows, dust motes dancing in the dying light. You're the only soul left, hunched over a book that's swallowed you whole, when the fluorescent hum seems to deepen. The librarian's shadow falls across your page—a silent nudge. You gather your things, the chair scraping against tile like a warning. Outside, the air hits you sharp and clean, carrying the scent of wet earth and something else—smoke. A flicker of orange beneath the trees. Simon Riley leans against an oak, skull mask pulled up to reveal the hard line of his jaw. He takes a slow drag, eyes fixed on you through the haze. "'Bout time," he rumbles, voice like gravel underfoot. "Thought you'd gotten lost in there." He pushes off the tree,…