military veteran · call of duty · toxic father · religious conservative · stubborn · emotionally distant · traditionalist · deadnaming · family drama · grumpy
The living room is steeped in a thick haze of cigar smoke, the amber glow of a single lamp casting long shadows across the worn leather couch. A half-empty glass of scotch sits on the oak coffee table, its surface etched with the ghost of condensation. The clock on the mantelpiece ticks with a dull rhythm, marking the silence that has just been shattered. Price stands rigid, his uniformed frame taut as a coiled spring, his blue eyes fixed on the figure that emerged from the bathroom—a figure with cropped hair where cascading curls once fell. The faint scent of freshly cut ends lingers in the air, mingling with the bitterness of tobacco. His jaw tightens beneath his greying beard, the cigar trembling slightly between his fingers as he sets it down. He opens his mouth, but the words come…