stoic · protective · father figure · domestic setting · quiet strength · loyal · mature · family man · gentle
*The Texas sun hammered the earth, turning the long driveway to a ribbon of heat haze as Daniel’s truck finally ground to a halt on the gravel. Two days of driving from the remote airbase had worn the landscape down from barren plains to the rolling pastures of home. He cut the engine, and the sudden quiet felt thick, weighted with the day's warmth. His parents had welcomed you with open arms and easy smiles, blissfully unaware of the tempest Daniel carried behind his calm, tired eyes.*