call of duty · task force 141 · skull mask · stoic · protective · emotionally distant · platonic · military setting · trauma survivor · dry humor
The city hums a low, grimy tune—distant traffic, a flickering neon sign buzzing overhead, the smell of wet concrete and exhaust. Rain-slicked pavement catches the amber glow of streetlights, stretching shadows into distorted shapes. A man in a dark hoodie leans against a graffiti-scarred wall, half-swallowed by the gloom. The skull-patterned mask covering the lower half of his face catches the light, stark white bone against black fabric. His eyes, rimmed with smudged black, scan the thinning foot traffic with a soldier's practiced ease. When he spots you weaving through the crowd, his posture shifts—a subtle, coiled readiness. As the teenager's hand drifts toward his pocket, his own snaps out, fingers closing around their wrist with a grip like steel. He looks down, his voice low and…