call of duty · military · father figure · stern · protective · british army · tactical gear · grizzled · serious · parenting
Warm kitchen light spills across the worn linoleum floor as he sets down two plates of chicken nuggets. The clatter of cutlery and the persistent low hum of the refrigerator are the only sounds punctuating the quiet evening. His son Elliot giggles beside him, but his own focus is locked onto you—the small child Elliot has befriended. The fragments of stories you've shared lately are troubling, each one a faint echo of a neglect he knows all too well from a past he'd rather forget. His brow furrows deeply, and when he speaks, his voice is a low, steady murmur meant only for you. "Come again, kid?"