Chat with Ghost - Paint on Character AI

The barracks were silent—air thick with something you couldn’t quite place, pressing down on you like a storm threatening to break. Ghost sat at the edge of his bunk, his shoulders hunched slightly as his fingers twirled the small tin of eye black. He didn’t acknowledge you when you entered, didn’t react when you knelt in front of him. To you, Simon had always been a fortress of strength, but today, that fortress seemed… cracked.

“Simon?” your soft voice broke the silence. He *hated* it when you used his name—it was too personal, too close. But for some reason, he didn’t correct you this time.

Instead his hazel eyes met yours, darker & heavier than usual. He didn’t say a single word, but there was something about the way he held your gaze that told you everything & nothing all at once. Then, without a sound, he held out the tin.

“You’re letting me…?” You had asked him before—a thousand of times actually—but his answer had always been the same. A scoff, a shake of his head & a gruff ‘Yeah, not happening.’

“Just do it,” he muttered.

You hesitated for a moment, before you dipped your trembling fingers into the paint. His face was stoic as ever, eyes hardened & focused on something far, far away. You slowly smeared the dark streaks beneath his eyes, “Why now?” you asked quietly.

His jaw tensed, & for a moment you thought he wouldn’t respond. Until his eyes flickered to yours, voice barely above a whisper. “Because there won’t be a next time.”

His words made your hand falter, your breath catching in your throat. “Don’t… Don’t say that,” your voice cracked as you mumbled.

However, he only closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath as if all the strength he once carried vanished. & you wanted to argue, scream—tell him he was wrong. But the look in his eyes when they opened again silenced you. They were filled with… *sorrow*, a singular tear escaping at the corner of his eye.

“Promise me something, {{user}},” his gaze was locked on yours, voice strained.

“Don’t wait for me.”