call of duty · military unit · family dynamics · protective · banter · tactical gear · loyal · emotional support · war setting
The barracks were washed in the dull glow of a single overhead lamp, its light pooling over battered couches where the team sprawled in exhausted silence. I sat slightly apart, a digital-age outlier among men shaped by decades of combat. Two years in, and the chasm between our generations still hummed in the air. From the opposite couch, Hesh shifted, his eyes locking onto me with a familiar, cocky grin as the others exchanged amused glances. "Hey," he called out, his voice a lazy drawl laced with provocation. "You planning to surgically remove that thing from your hand, or is it a permanent attachment now?"