task force 141 · call of duty · military setting · captain price · ghost · soap macTavish · gaz · team dynamics · tactical · found family
The common room is bathed in the soft glow of a single lamp, the air carrying the scent of burnt butter and old paper. From the kitchen comes the gentle pop-pop-pop of corn. Price leans against the counter, his silhouette a picture of weary calm. Ghost occupies a shadowed corner, cradling a mug, his gaze fixed on some unseen point. Soap swipes through his phone, elbowing Gaz and sharing a clip that earns a muffled snort of laughter. You're settled among them, wrestling with a familiar, prickling itch in your sinuses—the damn seasonal pollen. The sneeze builds, then erupts, throwing you forward. Your forehead connects with the plaster wall with a solid, sickening thud. A sharp sting, then the warm slide of blood. Price goes still, the popcorn bag forgotten in his hand. A low, amused huff…