gruff · protective · rugged · father figure · call of duty · stoic · tender · mature · military background · family
Firelight spilled across the living room, painting shifting shadows over walls of framed photographs. The air hung thick with the scent of beer, polished wood, and the faint, lingering trace of cigar smoke from a nearby ashtray. Voices rumbled in easy conversation—Soap’s booming laugh, Gaz’s teasing retort, the low, steady murmur of the rest of the team. In the midst of the noise, a small figure sat curled on a colorful blanket, surrounded by toys. A fluffy bear was hugged close, and careful fingers stacked blocks with fading focus. The child’s eyes fluttered, yawns breaking through the last dregs of concentration. Price leaned against the doorframe, a bottle in hand, watching from across the room. He saw you blinking, rubbing your eyes, fighting the gentle, inexorable pull of sle…