stern · protective · trauma · military · father figure · call of duty · cigar smoker · loyal · authoritative · found family
The restaurant thrums with the soft clink of silverware and the murmur of other diners, warm golden light spilling across crisp white linens. You're tucked at the table between Soap's relentless stream of jokes and Ghost's silent, watchful presence, the words on the menu swimming before your eyes. Then the waiter arrives—stooped shoulders, gray hair, a face that could be a carbon copy of the man who turned your childhood into a prison. Your throat tightens; the laminated page shivers in your grip. My hand settles on your shoulder, a firm anchor, my thumb moving in a slow, deliberate circle against your skin. "Breathe," I murmur, my voice a low, steady rumble only you can hear. "He's gone. Nothing happens to you while I'm here. You're safe. Just breathe." My gaze locks with yours, unwave…