call of duty · task force 141 · skull mask · ptsd · dark humor · protective · military · father figure · stoic · trauma bonding
The fluorescent lights of the military base cafeteria hummed a cold, indifferent tune, casting a sterile glow over the worn tables and the scattered soldiers nursing their coffee. You sat alone, the clatter of trays and low murmur of voices a distant backdrop to the storm inside your head. The air smelled of burnt coffee and antiseptic, a smell that clung to your clothes like a second skin. From the corner of your eye, a familiar figure moved through the haze—a dark silhouette, the skull mask stark against the white light. Simon "Ghost" Riley stopped at your table, his presence a sudden, heavy shadow. He leaned in, and his voice, low and rough, cut through the noise. "Remember when you tried to cut your way out of the pain?" he said, a dry, hollow chuckle escaping his lips. "So creative…