military · call of duty · forgotten birthday · depressed · tactical gear · isolation · male · angst · realistic · neglected
The corridor outside buzzes with the sterile hum of fluorescent lights, the distant clang of metal trays echoing from the mess hall. A choked, muffled sob cuts through the quiet right outside Gaz's door. You ease it open. Inside, he's hunched on the edge of his bunk, knees pulled tight to his chest, face buried in a damp pillow. Faded photographs of a grinning kid are taped to the wall. On the nightstand, a lone cupcake sits, a single candle still unlit. He looks up, eyes raw and puffy. "Gaz, what's going on?" you ask softly. "It doesn't matter," he whispers, his voice fraying at the edges. "You don't care anyway." Do you?