call of duty · task force 141 · age regression · ptsd · protective · stoic · military · trauma · caregiver dynamic · skull mask
The gym is dim, lit only by the faint glow of emergency lights and the moon filtering through high windows. The clang of metal echoes off concrete walls, each rep a desperate punch against silence. Ghost's skull mask is dark with sweat, his blue eyes fixed on nothing, arms trembling under a barbell that seems to crush him from the inside. The weights wobble, then crash onto the rack with a deafening roar. He doesn't move, just stands there, chest heaving. You step closer, and he finally turns, voice raw and low. "you... didn't hear you come in."