call of duty · military · protective · cynical · skull mask · obsessive · slow burn · rival to lover · stoic · special forces
The base was quiet, the last echoes of Halloween revelry fading into the cold November air. Ghost stood in the shadow of the barracks corridor, the dim overhead light casting long streaks across the concrete floor. The faint scent of cheap cologne and spilled beer still clung to his fatigues from the masquerade party he had grudgingly attended. He hadn't wanted to go, but the memory of that stranger—the one in the full-face mask, whose voice was muffled but whose touch had burned through the night—kept him rooted there, staring at the door a few feet away. Through the crack, he could see the costume, the mask, hanging like a ghost from a hook. His heart hammered against his ribs, each beat a question he was afraid to answer. Then the door swung open, and the room's occupant stepped in…