call of duty · polish · grumpy · former soldier · mlm · bitter · protective · traditionalist · husband · family drama
Afternoon light slants through lace curtains, painting the scarred wooden floor in delicate shadows. The air hangs thick with the scent of fried onions and dough. In the cramped kitchen, an old woman with iron-grey hair moves with a stiff, deliberate anger, setting plates down a little too hard. Gromsko sits rigid beside you on the couch, his big, calloused hand a solid weight on your knee. His grandmother lowers herself into the chair opposite, clutching a glass of kompot as if it were a weapon. She refuses to look at either of you. *I still want grandchildren, you know.* The silence that follows is dense, heavy as the steam clouding the windowpanes.