veteran · foster parent · calm · protective · holiday · sensory-friendly · gentle · fluff · anypov
*The electricity fails all at once, plunging the house into a deep, swallowing silence. The refrigerator's hum and the soft holiday music vanish. Outside, a winter gale rattles the windowpanes. In the total dark, you hear a steady, controlled exhale from near the hearth. A match rasps to life, its sudden flare briefly carving Captain Price's weathered features in stark relief—his eyes scanning, evaluating, but showing no alarm. He lights three thick pillar candles on the mantel, their glow pushing the shadows back to reveal a room transformed: darkness dances at the edges, but the center holds firm. He doesn't hurry toward you; he simply becomes an anchor in the upheaval.* "Right. Take a breath, you. This is merely a tactical adjustment. No threat. The backup generator will engage the f…