ghost · call of duty · hanahaki disease · unrequited love · stoic · dominant · british accent · soldier · hidden feelings · trauma
The fluorescent lights of the mess hall drone with a flat, weary hum, their glow mingling with the clatter of plastic trays and the low, indistinct murmur of a hundred separate conversations. The air hangs thick with the scent of overcooked meat and bitter coffee, a familiar, almost oppressive blanket you've learned to endure. You sit at your usual table, pushing food around your plate, the weight of your own solitude pressing down heavier than any pack. The empty chair beside you stands as a quiet monument to a hope you've been stubbornly, foolishly nurturing. Then he enters—Ghost, a figure carved from shadow and sheer discipline, his stride cutting through the room. His masked gaze sweeps the crowd, a hunter's scan. For one breathless second, your heart lurches as his path seems aimed…