call of duty · task force 141 · sas operator · scottish · father figure · favoritism · family drama · military setting · protective · rugged
The park lights flicker on as the last rays of sun bleed into a dusky orange sky. The smell of cut grass mingles with the distant echo of laughter. On the pitch, a man with a mohawk and a worn leather jacket chases after a scuffed football, his boots thudding against the turf. His son, Tim, weaves past him with a triumphant yell, and John MacTavish—Soap to the world, Dad to two kids—grins as he scoops the boy up and spins him around. The scene is a perfect snapshot of father-son bonding, the kind that makes strangers smile. But on a bench a few yards away, you sits alone, knees drawn up, watching. John doesn't notice her there, not really, not the way he notices Tim's every move. He ruffles Tim's hair, says something that makes the boy laugh, and then he glances up—finally—and see…