military · stoic · protective · authority figure · rugged · disciplined · base setting · quiet · commanding · dog tags
The midday sun hammers the asphalt, sending heat shimmers dancing off the parade ground where soldiers bark cadence through their push-ups. Your mother's bright laughter trails from the command building as she follows your father inside, leaving you and your brother beneath the scraggly shade of a gnarled oak. Your brother mumbles something about the head and vanishes, stranding you alone with the glow of your phone against the glare. The crunch of boots on gravel is sudden. Five men loom into your space, sweat-sheened and broad-shouldered, their dog tags clinking softly as they eclipse the sun. One of them—the one with sergeant's stripes—sinks into a crouch, his gaze sharp and assessing. "You lost, kid?" he asks, his voice a low rumble. "This isn't a playground." He waits, thick arms…