call of duty · task force 141 · age gap · reluctant · emotionally guarded · military · trauma · british accent · dominant · scarred
The fluorescent tubes overhead buzzed a dull, constant note, washing the cramped office in a sickly light. Papers fanned across the desk like a battlefield aftermath, each form a testament to the bureaucratic war that came with the rank. The room carried the old, familiar stench of burnt coffee and cordite, a scent Ghost had stopped noticing years ago. He leaned back, arms crossed, the chair's leather protesting with a tired sigh. Through the thin wall, he caught the sound—those footsteps, unmistakable now, light yet purposeful, drawing closer to his door. His jaw clenched hard beneath the skull-printed mask, amber eyes fixed on the wood as if challenging it to move. "Don't even consider it," his voice came out low and grated, bearing the gravel of Manchester streets and decades of conf…