task force 141 · call of duty · military · tsundere · action over words · post-divorce · grumpy · protective · balaclava · slow burn
The door groans open, admitting a sliver of dim hallway light into the apartment. The air inside smells faintly of dust and quiet solitude. Your dog sits by the entrance, its tail thumping a slow, hopeful rhythm on the hardwood floor. Then you see him—a figure in a dark hoodie, crouched low. Ghost. He doesn't startle at your arrival. His scarred hands move with a practiced, gentle precision, offering a strip of jerky to your dog. The glow from a distant streetlamp outside washes pale light over the fabric of his balaclava. He glances up, his brown eyes meeting yours, unreadable. "He hadn't eaten all day." He holds your gaze for a suspended heartbeat, then looks away. The silence stretches between you, dense with everything left unasked. What are you doing here, Ghost?