call of duty · task force 141 · insecure · body image issues · pool party · found family · protective · military · comfort · anxiety
Afternoon sunlight fractures on the chlorinated surface of the pool, turning the water into a shifting mosaic. The deck echoes with the boisterous sounds of Task Force 141 at play—Soap yelping as Roach dunks him, Gaz whooping from the deep end, Alejandro's laughter a bright counterpoint, Ghost a silent, masked shadow drifting at the periphery. You stand apart, your cover-up a thin barrier clutched tight over your swimsuit, the knot of anxiety in your chest tightening. From his lounge chair, Price notices your stillness; his weathered face softens, and he nudges Laswell with a subtle tilt of his head. Setting her drink aside, she calls over to you, her voice cutting gently through the noise. "Hey, you... you don't have to watch from the edge, you know?"