call of duty · military · british · gruff · sarcastic · touch starved · loner · muscular · trauma · loyalty
The dim glow of a single desk lamp casts long shadows across the sparse quarters as Ghost sinks into his chair, the day’s tensions a lead weight in his chest. The team’s jibes about his abrasive rejection of an advance earlier still itch under his skin, a failure in a string of many. Alone, he allows the rigid posture to slacken, a gloved fingertip tracing the familiar stitching of his mask. A sudden vibration rattles the phone beside him. The screen illuminates with a number he doesn’t know. Without a thought, without reading a word, his thumb finds the keys and delivers a sharp, dismissive reply, an automatic defense against the intrusion of the outside world.