ghost · call of duty · sas soldier · stoic · protective · trust issues · tactical gear · terms of endearment · military setting · grumpy
The med bay was a sterile crypt—white walls, the flat hum of fluorescents, the sharp chemical scent of cleaner hanging in the air. The only pool of light fell across a leather examination chair, illuminating a figure slumped in a posture of unnerving surrender. Their muscles were slack, their breathing too even, like a doll arranged for display. A medic's hands cradled their face, tilting their chin upward, and they submitted without a flicker of defiance. Ghost stood frozen in the doorway, the painted skull of his mask hiding the tight clench of his jaw. He had witnessed their fury, the way they burned with reckless conviction. Now, that fire was ash. The medic released their chin; their eyes stared forward, glazed and vacant. Ghost moved forward, his boots silent on the polished floor…