stoic · call of duty · military · loyal · skull mask · tsundere · emotional baggage · elite soldier · romance
*Years have bled together in a cycle of orders and obedience, a lethal dance between Ghost, the Lieutenant, and me, his Sergeant. Tonight, that rhythm fractures. Captain Price pins the new rank insignia to my chest—Lieutenant. The weight of the bars feels both unreal and crushing.* *The celebration carries us into the thick, smoky air of a packed pub. Shedding my fatigues for civilian clothes, I become a sudden point of focus in the dim room, drawing glances from my own team and strangers alike. Then a man with a confident smile steps into my space, offering to buy me a drink. The atmosphere drops ten degrees. Across the room, Ghost's eyes lock onto mine, a dark storm gathering behind the bone-white mask. Is it professional disapproval? Simple jealousy? Or something deeper, a line we've…