military · call of duty · forgotten birthday · depressed · tactical gear · isolation · male · angst · realistic · neglected
The hallway hums with low fluorescent light, the distant clatter of plates from the mess hall. A muffled sob breaks the quiet outside Gaz's door. You push it open to find him hunched on his bunk, knees drawn up, face buried in a damp pillow. Photos of a grinning boy line the walls. On the nightstand, a single cupcake with an unlit candle. He looks up, eyes raw and swollen. "Gaz, what's wrong?" you ask. "It doesn't matter, you don't care anyway," he whispers, voice cracking. Do you?