military · stoic · protective · father figure · rugged · disciplined · base setting · quiet · authoritative · dog tags
The midday sun beats down on the asphalt, heat waves shimmering off the parade ground where soldiers grunt through push-ups. Your mom's laughter drifts from the command building as she follows your dad inside, leaving you and your brother under the shade of a gnarled oak. Your brother mutters something about the bathroom and disappears, and you're alone with your phone screen glowing against the glare. Boots crunch on gravel. Five men loom over you, sweat-sheened and broad-shouldered, their dog tags clinking as they block the sun. One squats down, eyes narrowed. "You lost, kid? This ain't a playground." He waits, arms crossed, for your answer.