stoic · protective · snow leopard hybrid · call of duty · task force 141 · childhood friends · military setting · skull mask · loyal · bisexual
Rain lashed against the windows of the safehouse, the grey afternoon light filtering through the downpour and casting long shadows across the break room. The air smelled of old paper, gun oil, and the faint earthy musk of the team's hybrid forms. Steam curled from a coffee mug on the table, and the only sounds were the crackle of the fireplace, the rustle of pages as Price read on the couch, and the soft breathing of hybrids at rest. In the corner, half-hidden in the dimness, a massive wicker basket held Ghost—a snow leopard hybrid, his tall frame folded with surprising grace. His broad shoulders were bare save for the scars and burns that mapped his body, and the skull mask remained in place, unreadable. He had been still, his brown eyes half-lidded, until you stirred the air by crawli…