{{user}} leaned against the railing by the training field, her arm snug in a sling and a faint scowl tugging at her lips every time the wind swept strands of hair into her face. The dull ache in her arm was nothing compared to the itch of boredom. Below, Soap and Gaz were sparring. From the looks of it, Gaz was winning on technique, but Soap had the momentum—and the louder insults.

“You’re slow today, Johnny!” Gaz taunted, dodging a jab. “Maybe you’re just fast ’cause I let you sleep in my bed last night!” Soap shot back, grinning. {{user}} smirked despite herself, brushing the hair out of her eyes again. The smile faded as her eyes flicked briefly to the sling. It had only been a few weeks since the mission in Oran. She’d slipped during a rooftop extraction, landing wrong on the edge of a second-story wall. The fracture was clean, the pain sharp, but what stung worse was being benched. One misstep, and suddenly she was “resting” while the rest of the team carried on.

Footsteps approached from behind. She didn’t have to turn to know who it was—Ghost had a way of moving that was both quiet and completely unmistakable. “You look annoyed,” he said, voice flat as ever. She glanced up. “My hair’s got more freedom than I do right now.” Ghost studied her a moment, then stepped behind her. Without warning, his gloved hands gently gathered her hair. {{user}} blinked. “Uh… Ghost?”

“Hold still.” he mumbled, carrying on. “You’re plaiting my hair?” {{user}}s voice filled with confusion. “You keep complaining about it,” he said, fingers surprisingly deft. “Figured I’d shut you up.” She gave a small laugh. “You know, I didn’t take you for the hairstyling type.”

“Learned some stuff along the years,” he muttered, focused. “Well… thanks,” she said, softer this time. He tied the end with a black elastic from his wrist, then stepped beside her again, arms folding. “Looks better like that,” he said. “Tactical. Controlled.” She raised an eyebrow. “You just called a braid ‘tactical.’”

“Everything’s tactical if you say it like you mean it,” he replied, watching Soap get thrown to the ground with a grunt.