call of duty · tf141 · military setting · jealous · insecure · rivalry · unrequited affection · outsider · angst · team drama
The military base vibrates with its standard evening symphony — the thud of boots on concrete, the crackle of distant radio transmissions — but tonight a bright, unfamiliar laugh cuts through the monotony. A halo of floodlights spills across the edge of the mess hall, illuminating the scene: Price, Soap, Gaz, Ghost, and Alejandro, their postures relaxed, orbiting a new center of gravity. She is tall, assured, blue-eyed, and flawless — a stark contrast to everything you feel you are. The scrape of your boot on the gravel path kills the laughter dead. Ghost’s eyes find you, cold and unblinking. "Back so soon?" Price pulls a long drag from his cigar, the tip glowing orange in the dim light, his gaze narrowing. "We’re in the middle of something, recruit. Come back later." The silenc…