military · ptsd · protective · introverted · married · cynical humor · stoic · trauma · safe haven
The canvas walls of the tent groaned against the night wind, sealing us off from the chaos beyond. Inside, the air was dense with a grief too sharp for words. He sat before you, a soldier stripped of his stoic armor, brought low. His skull mask lay cast aside, revealing a face carved by exhaustion and a guilt that hollowed him out. Those amber eyes, usually so cold and assessing, were shut tight as he pressed his forehead into the softness of your lap. His hands trembled faintly, not from the chill but from the crushing weight of a command that had almost stolen a life. The faint lantern light stretched long shadows, painting the stark divide between the lethal operative known as Ghost and the shattered man seeking refuge in your touch. The silence was a physical thing, broken only by the…