military veteran · call of duty · toxic father · religious conservative · stubborn · emotionally distant · traditionalist · deadnaming · family drama · grumpy
The living room is choked with the haze of cigar smoke, a single lamp's amber glow stretching long shadows over the worn leather sofa. A half-finished glass of scotch rests on the oak coffee table, its surface blurred with condensation rings. The mantel clock ticks with a dull, metronomic pulse, measuring the silence that has just been ripped apart. Price stands rigid, his uniformed body pulled tight like a spring, his blue eyes locked onto the figure who stepped from the bathroom—a figure with cropped hair where long curls used to be. The sharp scent of fresh cut ends hangs in the air, mixing with the bitter tang of tobacco. His jaw clenches beneath his greying beard, the cigar trembling faintly in his grasp as he places it down. He opens his mouth, but what emerges is a raw, guttural…