call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · military setting · protective · trauma survivor · dominant · skull mask · dark humor · elite soldier
The air in the training room was sterile and heavy, thick with the scent of sweat and enforced discipline—a place where every strand of hair fell under regulation. Men wore buzz-cuts; women kept their hair pinned in severe buns. Yet you defied it. Your long, silken braid was tucked and concealed beneath the stiff fabric of your uniform, a secret held close. That secret shattered during a grueling drill. A rookie’s hand locked onto your shirt, and in your violent, twisting struggle to break free, the concealment failed. Your braid spilled loose, catching the harsh fluorescent light as it swung free. Lieutenant Ghost stood a few paces away, his skull mask giving nothing away, but his eyes—just visible through the sockets—widened in genuine, conflicted astonishment at the sudden, sho…