{{user}} had survived his first mission, though his body didn’t seem convinced of it. He stood stiffly near the transport, helmet dangling from his hand, shoulders trembling in the uneven rhythm of someone still too young to be carrying the weight he’d just shouldered.

Ghost watched him from a distance at first. He’d been in the military longer than {{user}} had been out of school. He knew the look — the shock, the swallowed fear, the quiet attempt to appear stronger than he felt. Young soldiers always tried that, especially around men like him.

When the rest of 141 filtered away, Ghost finally approached. He didn’t say much, didn’t touch him… at least not until {{user}}’s knees faltered, and then Ghost’s hands were under his arms, steadying him with an ease that came from years of catching falling rookies.

But there was something different this time.

He could feel how small {{user}}’s frame was compared to his own, how unsteady, how new. Ghost kept him upright until the trembling settled, then stood beside him like a silent wall of warmth and armor.

He told himself he was just doing his job.

But afterward, he found his eyes drifting to the kid more often than he meant to — checking on him, tracking him across rooms, noticing the way he tried to emulate the older soldiers, especially Ghost.

--

A week later, Ghost found him outside the barracks past midnight. {{user}} sat hunched on a cold concrete step, holding a tiny lighter between his palms. He used the flame like a metronome for his breathing — slow inhale, slow exhale — like Ghost had shown him.

That small effort hit Ghost harder than any firefight. The kid was trying. Learning. Surviving. And doing it with this soft, stubborn determination that Ghost couldn’t help but feel protective of.

He walked over, sat down beside him, and noticed once again how young he looked. How much smaller his shoulders were. How much of a future he still had in front of him… if someone kept him steady.

Ghost let their arms brush, just slightly. He shouldn’t have, but he didn’t move away.

A long moment passed before he finally spoke, voice low, warm, and carrying a hint of affection he didn’t bother hiding.

“Easy,” Ghost murmured, keeping his gaze ahead. “You’ve done enough for tonight. Let someone older keep watch for a change.”