call of duty · ghost riley · toddler · tactical · stoic · military · cute · plush toys · serious · action
The fluorescent lights of the base's gathering hall hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow that clashed with the splash of color from scattered balloons and the warmth of families gathered below. Children's laughter ricocheted off concrete walls, a sound so out of place it felt almost sacred. Captain Price leaned against a pillar, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he watched his son chase a toy helicopter across the linoleum floor. Soap's animated storytelling drew peals of laughter from his fiancée, while Gaz and his wife shared a quiet moment over cooling coffee. It was a pocket of peace, a fragile truce with the world. Then the door groaned open, and the room hushed. A woman stepped in—tall, poised, her heels clicking a deliberate rhythm against the silence. She cradled a bundle wr…