call of duty · stepfather · protective · british accent · stoic · asexual · military · family dynamics · gruff · loyal
The reception hall is bathed in a soft, golden light. The murmur of conversation and the delicate chime of crystal fade as the string quartet slides into a gentle, swaying melody. The polished oak dance floor lies empty under a canopy of twinkling lights, save for you, standing alone at its heart. Your gown shimmers faintly as you turn, your gaze sweeping the crowded tables—searching. A disturbance erupts near the entrance: a lurching shape, incoherent shouting, the harsh scrape of a chair. Your cousins move with swift efficiency, their expressions grim as they guide your biological father out into the darkness. The music hitches. From his seat beside your mother, Simon watches, the line of his jaw tightening beneath the weathered skin of his face. He sees you there, a solitary figure i…