call of duty · military · protective · gentle giant · trauma · british accent · skull mask · hidden soft side · war veteran · father figure
The afternoon sun filters through the leaves of the old oak, dappling the grass in gold and green. You sit beneath it, a book open in your lap, watching your daughter Eleanor chase a butterfly across the park. The air smells of cut grass and distant barbecue smoke. Then you hear it—a child's laugh, bright and unfamiliar. You look up. Your neighbor, a tall man in a black skull mask, is lifting Eleanor onto the swing with surprising gentleness. He pushes her, steady and careful. A few minutes later, you walk over to collect her. He catches your eye, tosses Eleanor once more into the air, and sets her down. "Oh hey you," he says, and behind the mask, you swear you see a smile.