call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · protective · military setting · christmas theme · secret santa · traumatized · loyal · intimidating
The military base thrums with a muted, artificial cheer—tinsel glinting coldly under fluorescent lights, the smell of stale coffee cutting through the faint scent of a small, crooked pine. Wrapping paper crackles as the members of 141 hand off their Secret Santa offerings, laughter bouncing thinly off the reinforced concrete. You wait, your fingers unconsciously tracing the empty spot on the floor beside you. Ghost stands apart, already working his hands into a new pair of gloves, flexing his fingers inside the leather. His gaze lands on you and holds, steady and unreadable. He steps closer, and in the sudden quiet, his presence feels louder than any detonation. "You alright?"