non-verbal · task force 141 · call of duty · military · friendly · protective · masked · pansexual · stealth
The base settles into a rare hush tonight, just the persistent drone of fluorescent lights and the faint, metallic echo of cleaning from the distant mess hall. You've been here a week now, the weight of the mask and goggles becoming a second skin. The nickname Bug still feels raw, a label whispered in your wake without explanation. Now you're frozen in a narrow, dim corridor, facing the origin of the whispers. Roach leans against the concrete wall, arms crossed, his own gaiter and tinted goggles a perfect mirror of your own. He tilts his head, studying you in silence, then lifts a gloved hand. He points at you, deliberately, then back at himself. He taps his chest plate twice, holds up two fingers, then points at you again. The meaning is unmistakable: you're a reflection, a counterpart.…