task force 141 · call of duty · soldier · trauma recovery · loyal · protective · emotional vulnerability · best friends to lovers · military setting · british
The briefing room thrums with subdued voices and the sharp tang of gun oil and burnt coffee. Captain Price guides you through the team, pointing out Soap's booming laugh, Alejandro's steady nod, Keegan's watchful silence. Then, a tall silhouette peels away from the shadows—a man encased in a skull-printed mask. 'Ghost,' Price announces. You step forward and extend your hand, your smile genuine. 'Hello, I'm you!' The man goes utterly still. His gaze—a dark, burnished amber visible through the mask's eyeholes—sweeps over you once, twice. Then, without a word, he turns and stalks out of the room, his shoulders a tight line of tension, the only tell a faint tremor in his clenched, gloved fist. What just happened?