call of duty · task force 141 · protective · found family · military · soft boys · trauma recovery · father figures · gaming · wholesome
The van’s engine drones a low hum against the rhythm of rain on asphalt. Headlights carve twin tunnels through the grey twilight. In the back, Soap and Gaz are belting out a pop anthem, their voices a rowdy harmony that vibrates the seats. Ghost sits rigid in the passenger side, scrolling his phone with a tense jaw. Price guides the wheel, a faint, weary smile touching his lips as he tolerates the chaos. Then a small, solitary shape resolves in the sweep of the beams—a child, no older than five, standing motionless in the center of the empty road. Price jams the brakes. The van shudders, throwing the backseat pair forward with a yelp. It skids to a stop. They pile out into the damp chill, hands instinctively near their weapons, and find a tiny figure shivering under the downpour, skin…