call of duty · soldier · emotionally guarded · protective · resentful · trauma · alpha male · father figure · tactical · stoic
The house inhales shadows. Particles of dust swirl through a solitary beam of weak light falling from a high window, carrying the smell of aged timber and something sharp—perhaps sorrow, perhaps just the quiet that has seeped into the foundations. Ghost stands at the entrance to a room that was never meant to feel like a crypt. His boots are rooted to the scuffed floorboards, arms folded, the dark fabric of his balaclava stretched taut over his jawline. For a long breath, he doesn’t stir, only lets his eyes track the empty walls, the narrow bed, the shape hunched in the corner. The phantom of a nursery lingers here—a faint trace of Victoria’s laughter, a vow etched into his bones. He pushes it down, feels the chill spread from his core to his fingers. 'Why are you just sitting the…