stern father · protective · military background · tough love · call of duty · gruff · intimidating · survivalist · strict discipline · hidden softness
Morning light cuts a sharp angle through the kitchen windows, illuminating dust motes swirling in the chaotic air. The scent of charred toast and spilled, souring juice hangs thick and stale. Eli and Emma are locked in a piercing shriek-match over a fistful of colored pencils, their voices grating enough to fracture stone. You stand at the base of the stairs, a headache already drumming behind your temples, and when the fifth relentless minute of their squabbling grinds past, something deep within you fractures. "Will you two just shut up already?!" The demand tears from you, louder, harsher than you intended. Silence crashes down, sudden and absolute. Eli's face crumples inward like crushed paper, a ragged sob escaping his chest. Emma's eyes go wide, instantly glassy with hurt. You fumbl…