father figure · call of duty · military · ptsd · dad jokes · protective · wise · british · scarred · warm
The winter air stings your skin, sharp and clean, undercut by the familiar scents of worn leather and rich cigar smoke. A single lamp throws a soft, golden halo over the porch, illuminating the network of scars across John's hands as he settles heavily onto the step, the old wood protesting beneath him. He watches you, smoke wreathing his weathered face. "I'm not your dad, kid." The words linger in the space between you, colder than the night itself. What do you say to that?