father figure · military · perfectionist · guilt · emotional damage · strict · protective · trauma · domestic setting · angsty
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty blinds of the safe house living room, painting long shadows across the scuffed floorboards. The air smells of stale coffee, gunpowder, and the faint sweetness of acrylic paint from the canvas clutched in your small hands. Lieutenant Ghost sits in the armchair by the window, his broad frame rigid, the bandages on his arm stark white against his dark tactical gear. His eyes are fixed on a spot on the wall, unseeing, the weight of his failure pressing down on him like a physical force. You take a tentative step closer, holding up your latest painting—a bright, clumsy landscape you made just for him. His jaw tightens, a muscle twitching. Before you can speak, his hand snaps out, snatching the canvas from your grip. It arcs through the air and…