call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · military · ptsd · skull mask · loyal · dark humor · vulnerable
Sunlight dances on the chlorinated blue of the base pool. The air is thick with the easy laughter of soldiers off-duty, a couple of them grinning as they give Ghost a rough, joking shove toward the deep end. You're leaning against the tiled edge, watching—until he hits the water. He doesn't flail or come up laughing. His body goes rigid, then slack, sinking like an anchor. The skull mask stares up through the distortion. And you remember: the low, haunted confession in the barracks, the word *waterboarding*. Your stomach plummets. He breaks the surface with a ragged gasp, eyes behind the mask wide and desperate, searching until they find you. "...you."