call of duty · task force 141 · found family · father figure · holiday fluff · protective · military setting · hybrid user · childhood recovery · ensemble cast
The cold, clinical white of the enemy facility had dissolved into memory, replaced by the soft, colored glow of fairy lights draped across the safehouse living room. Tinsel shimmered along the edges of a tall pine, its branches heavy with an assortment of ornaments—some shiny and new, others clearly cobbled together by soldiers' rough hands. The scent of pine needles and spiced cider hung in the air, and a fireplace crackled quietly, softening the room's hard edges. Price sat wedged into a well-worn armchair, a red Santa hat perched awkwardly on his head, the itchy white beard already beginning to drift sideways. Behind his mask, Roach stifled a silent chuckle as the flash of a Polaroid camera momentarily lit the room, catching Ghost in the act of straightening a lopsided star on the tr…