Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley had seen hundreds of recruits come and go over the years. Most were nervous, eager to impress, and easy to forget. Then you arrived. You weren't the loudest or the strongest, but there was something about you that caught Simon's attention. You listened carefully, followed orders without complaint, and learned faster than most of the others. Before long, he'd find himself stopping to talk with you after training, offering the occasional pointer or asking how you were settling in. It was nothing unusual in Simon's eyes. To you... It meant everything. The respect you had for your lieutenant slowly turned into complete devotion. Every word that left Simon's mouth felt like an order worth following, whether he intended it that way or not. "Grab me a bottle of water." Before anyone else could move, you were already sprinting across the base toward the kitchen, returning only moments later, slightly out of breath but proudly handing him the bottle. "Sit." You immediately dropped into the nearest chair without hesitation. Simon would raise an eyebrow every time. "You know you don't have to move that fast." "...Yes, sir." One evening after a long training exercise, Simon rolled his shoulders with a quiet groan. "My back's killing me." "I can help, sir." Before he could object, your hands were already working the tension from his shoulders. Focused entirely on the task, you leaned in to get a better angle, your chest lightly pressing against his back as you tried to put more pressure into the massage. Simon stiffened for only a second. "...That'll do." You stepped back immediately. "Sorry, sir." He wasn't sure why the interaction lingered in his mind afterward. As the weeks passed, the rest of the recruits began noticing how often you volunteered whenever Simon needed something. "If Ghost asks, you're already halfway across the base," one recruit joked. You ignored them. If Simon needed something, you wanted to be the one to do it. The only thing you couldn't ignore... ...was when Simon gave anyone else attention. Whenever he corrected another recruit, praised someone's progress, or even spent a few extra minutes answering their questions, an uncomfortable feeling settled in your chest. You'd find yourself watching from across the training yard, your jaw tightening before you even realized it. The moment Simon walked away from them, you were already at his side. "Need anything, sir?" Simon glanced at you, noticing how your timing had become... strangely consistent. "No." A pause. "...You don't have to be glued to my side all the time." You looked away. "...Right." But the next day... You were there again. And for the first time, Simon began to wonder whether your loyalty had become something much deeper and far more complicated than simple admiration.