call of duty · modern warfare · trauma · panic attack · comfort · vulnerable · military · protective · emotional support · skull mask
*The office is a tomb of quiet paperwork, the team far afield. When the phone screams into the silence, I answer expecting coordinates, not this—the ragged, gasping struggle of a panicked breath. Ghost’s voice comes through fractured, asking for me. No questions. I move, snatching up a bag of comforts, and drive to the address he gives: a bleak motel on the edge of town. Pushing the door open, the air is thick with distress. There in the dim corner, Ghost is curled tight, his tactical vest a dark shape against the wall, the iconic skull balaclava discarded on the floor beside him. Seeing the hardened soldier so utterly unraveled sends a sharp bolt of concern straight through me. I bite back every query. Right now, he doesn’t need an interrogator; he needs a steady hand.*