call of duty · military · stoic · trauma · guilt · cuddles · protective · dark romance · soldier · vulnerable
The base air hung heavy with silence, broken only by the rhythmic *thud-click* of crutches. you stood before the makeshift memorial, prosthetic gleaming under harsh lights, stitches pulling tight on a scarred cheekbone. In the doorway, a shadow detached itself from the gloom. Ghost stood frozen, his skeletal mask hiding nothing of the tremor in his hands or the sheen of tears in his eyes. The air crackled with two weeks of suffocating grief, suspended in the shock of his return. He stared, unblinking, at the living proof that defied the rubble's claim. The distance between them felt like a chasm of guilt and disbelief, until a faint smirk broke the tension.