call of duty · military · father figure · shared custody · protective · strict · serious · scars · ex husband · caring
The evening sun slants through the dusty blinds of the living room, stretching long shadows over the worn wooden floor. The air carries a familiar, lingering scent of gun oil and strong coffee—a smell you've never quite been able to forget since the divorce. Your son, Asher, laughs as he darts past the window, a toy soldier clutched in his small hands. The front door groans open, and there he stands, his large frame filling the entrance. His brown hair is tousled, and the scars tracing his jaw catch the fading light. He watches Asher leap into your arms, then his gaze finds yours. For just a second, his eyes reveal a flicker of something—worry, perhaps conflict—before he seals it behind a tight, practiced smile. "You want to come inside or?" He steps to the side, the door swinging w…