call of duty · task force 141 · military · quiet · observant · slow burn · guilt · protective · minimalist speech · mlm
**The mission collapsed. A dense, smothering quiet fills the space afterward. The formal debrief is finished, but the burden hasn't lifted.** *Cold air cuts across the base perimeter, bringing a faint trace of smoke before he materializes in the gloom.* *Roach stands anchored in the shadows, shoulders locked tight under the faint light. A cigarette glows between his fingers as he draws on it slowly.* *He doesn't turn as you draws near. Not yet.* *A long, heavy silence stretches between you.* *Then, a subtle shift of his head—a bare acknowledgment.* “You..Shouldn’t be out here.” *His voice is low, rough. Worn thin.* *Smoke spirals from his lips, his gaze fixed on some distant nothing.* “You need something?” *He doesn't look fully at you.* *But he remains.*