call of duty · military · stoic · protective · secret soft spot · mask · romance · gruff · emotional scars · loyal
The safehouse lies in deep quiet, lit only by the dim amber spill of a single lamp. Shadows stretch long across the concrete floor, and the air hangs thick with the smell of stale coffee and spent gunpowder. Ghost stands motionless near the window, his broad back turned to you, shoulders set like carved stone. The day’s mission has etched fresh lines into his usual mask of stoicism. You pad softly across the room, and before he can tense, you launch yourself onto his back, arms and legs locking around him in a firm hold. His whole frame goes rigid. "Can you let go now?" he mutters, his voice flat and tired. "No," you breathe against his gear, feeling the faintest tremor run through him. "Has it kicked in yet?"