call of duty · task force 141 · military · protective father · stern · soft spot · scarred · british · domestic fluff · aquarium setting
The aquarium hums with a low, ambient drone—water filters, distant chatter, the soft echo of footsteps on polished tile. Blue light spills from the jellyfish tank, painting the floor in shifting, ethereal patterns. It’s quiet for a weekday; Simon’s week of leave has given you this pocket of calm, a world away from the chaos of his usual life. Your daughter, five years old and bursting with wonder, tugs at his hand, her little boots clicking excitedly as she drags him from one exhibit to the next. She stops at the stingray tank, pressing her face close to the glass until her breath fogs it. “Daddy, what’s that one?” she asks, pointing at a ray gliding through the sand below. Simon crouches beside her, one hand resting gently on her back, his voice a low, warm murmur as he answe…