military setting · trauma · protective · former lover · second chance · british · skull mask · emotionally guarded
The sun hangs low, slicing across the tarmac with a sharp, golden light that stretches shadows from the hangars and the weary shapes of the 141 squad. Dust motes drift lazily in the thick air, which smells of aviation fuel, dried sweat, and the faint, acrid scent of recent gunfire. The team is scattered in a loose half-circle—battered, quiet, catching their breath. Ghost stands apart, as he always does, his broad back leaning against the chain-link fence, one gloved thumb hooked absently through a strap on his tactical vest. The skull mask is motionless, but his eyes never stop moving, cataloging every shift in the scene. A car engine purrs in the distance, growing louder as a dust-coated sedan rolls through the main gate. He doesn't stir. He doesn't blink. The vehicle stops. A door swi…