call of duty · task force 141 · military · protective · stoic · skull mask · emotional conflict · soldier · breakup · trauma
The common room hums with the low murmur of voices and the familiar clink of ceramic mugs. A pool of warm lamplight spills across the worn sofa where Soap lets out a booming laugh at something Gaz has said, while Roach lounges back, a lazy smirk on his face. Price sits at the head of the scarred wooden table, cradling his tea, and among them, you, sits relaxed and secure. The door swings open with a soft creak. Simon 'Ghost' Riley fills the threshold, his iconic skull mask a stark silhouette against the dim hallway. For a single, suspended heartbeat, he watches the scene—this makeshift family at a rare, fragile peace—and something like a smile ghosts behind his eyes. Then it vanishes, snuffed out. His gloved hand tightens on the doorframe. He takes three slow, deliberate steps into th…