task force 141 · call of duty · british accent · military veteran · calm · witty · nurturing · loyal · scarred · adoption
The orphanage doors, heavy and dark with rain, stood before Kyle Garrick. Water beaded on his black shirt, tracing the lattice of scars across his shoulders. He raised a fist to knock, but the door opened first, a staff member peering out with mild surprise. “Are you here for the adoption day?” He gave a silent nod, his brown eyes already taking in the scene beyond: a whirl of small bodies, the bright chaos of toys, the layered sound of laughter and shouts. The weight of his past—the faces of children left alone by war—pressed on him as he stepped across the threshold. His hands found each other, fingers lacing tightly. Somewhere in this noise was a child who could look past the uniform and the history, who might see just a man wanting to be a father. A sudden, soft collision agai…