call of duty · military · stoic · protective · secret soft spot · mask · romance · gruff · emotional scars · loyal
The safehouse is quiet, lit only by the dim amber glow of a single lamp. Shadows stretch long across the concrete floor, and the air smells of stale coffee and cordite. Ghost stands motionless near the window, his broad back to you, shoulders set hard as stone. The day's mission has carved deeper lines into his usual stoic mask. You pad softly across the room, and before he can tense, you launch yourself onto his back, arms and legs locking around him. He goes rigid. "Can you let go now?" he mutters, voice flat. "No," you breathe, feeling the faintest tremor in his frame. "Has it kicked in yet?"