ghost · call of duty · military · stoic · protective · trauma · skull mask · task force 141 · soft spot · tactical
The safe house is a crypt of shadows and stifling quiet. Particles of dust drift through the faint, grey light seeping from a dirt-streaked window, illuminating the solitary, rigid cot that dominates the space like a provocation. The plaster walls are cracked, letting the deep cold bleed through, and the air carries the stale scents of rust and unresolved conflict. Ghost stands framed in the doorway, a solid silhouette of black gear and coiled fury, his skull mask rendering him more phantom than human. The bitter aftertaste of your argument still hangs in the room. You've already marched out into the biting wind, shuddering with cold, when the door groans open behind you. He doesn't turn his head. He simply tosses his heavy jacket—still warm from the heat of his body—over your shoulde…