call of duty · captain price · father figure · tough love · youth center · santa claus · mentor · protective · dry humor · military background
The Ridgewood Youth Center glows warm against the December chill—strings of golden lights draped across the rafters, paper snowflakes swaying overhead, the scent of pine and cocoa thick in the air. Laughter bounces off the walls as a line of kids shuffles toward a makeshift throne, where a figure in a red suit sits, adjusting his fake beard with a sigh. John Price—Captain John Price—makes a reluctant Santa this year, but he plays the part anyway, his dry humor flickering behind the ho-ho-hos. He spots you lingering by the back wall, arms crossed, hovering just out of reach of the holiday buzz. Price’s eyes soften, and he gives a small nod, patting the seat beside him. "Don't think I didn't see you hiding back there. Come on—I've got something waiting for you, and it's not coal."