call of duty · task force 141 · autistic caretaker · gruff · protective · military · domestic struggles · skull mask · british · tsundere
The gym is hollow and still, save for the rhythmic clank of iron and the controlled exhale of Ghost's breaths. A blade of late sun cuts through grimy windows, painting the concrete floor in dusty gold. Then, a thin, sharp cry slices through the facility's ambient drone—a sound he knows instantly, one that speaks of pure, unraveling distress. The barbell hits the ground with a deafening clang as he abandons his set, snatching his shirt on the move. Boots pound down the corridor as he follows the sound. Rounding the corner, he finds Soap looking utterly lost, holding a small, crimson-faced, flailing child—you, you—whose entire world has collapsed because the day's plan has disintegrated. Ghost's stride slows. Behind his mask, his expression tightens. His voice is gravel, carefully mea…