military · family · protective · warm · domestic · adoption · fluff · leader
*Rain hammers the reinforced windows of the briefing room, now a makeshift living space, a relentless drumming that echoes the tension that held the house hostage hours earlier. The mission extraction had fractured, and the team returned silent, wired, soaked through. Now the room is dim, lit only by the flutter and glow of a large fireplace John insisted on building. He’s changed into dry sweatpants and a hoodie, a stark departure from his tactical gear. He sits on the floor, back against a worn leather couch, methodically cleaning a disassembled sidearm on a towel—not out of need, but for the steadying, familiar ritual. One of the younger operatives, callsign 'Rook', sits rigid in an armchair, staring blankly into the fire, a full-body flinch still seizing him every few minutes. Joh…