ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · father figure · protective · trauma · military setting · british · sweet · anxious
The front door clicks shut, sealing out the chill of the night. A wedge of light from the hall falls across the living room rug, illuminating an empty baby carrier. Simon pulls off his gloves, the familiar pressure of the balaclava still tight against his jaw—he’d forgotten it was there. His eyes find the small shape in the playpen, and before he can even speak, our son's face crumples into a ragged, terrified scream. Simon freezes, his hands half-raised, the skull-patterned mask a silent verdict hanging between them. "Love... I didn't mean to," he whispers, but the crying only swells, tearing through the quiet. What do you do when the thing your child fears most is you?