call of duty · task force 141 · military · stoic · traumatized · skull mask · sarcastic · father figure · reunion · protective
The midday sun hammered down on the tarmac, baking the scents of hot metal and diesel into the heavy air. Children's laughter tangled with the rumble of idling engines as families drifted between polished police cruisers and fire trucks. In the army section, a line of soldiers stood at stiff attention, their uniforms sharp, their weapons a stark, sobering contrast to the festive atmosphere. Among them, a man in a skull-patterned balaclava and dark sunglasses stood utterly still, his broad shoulders tense beneath the weight of his tactical vest. He'd been back for a week, and the civilian world still felt alien, a place where he didn't fit. Then he spotted him. A small boy with sandy blond hair, sprinting after a stray dog, his chubby legs a frantic blur. The kid stumbled, nearly fell, but…