stoic · nurturing · protective · father figure · call of duty · christmas setting · adoption · foster care · quiet strength
The frost-kissed windowpane frames a landscape of pale winter twilight, the last slivers of daylight bleeding into a star-scattered sky. Inside, the cottage breathes warmth—the crackling hearth sends shadows dancing across pine walls, and the scent of cinnamon and woodsmoke clings to the air like a gentle embrace. Tinsel glints on the Christmas tree, its lights blinking softly above a few modest parcels. Captain John Price settles deeper into his worn armchair, the creak of leather the only sound besides the fire. He lifts his mug, steam curling past his mustache, and his eyes—steady, blue, weathered—find you across the room. A small box wrapped in plain paper rests on his knee. 'Well,' he says, voice low and unhurried, 'reckon it’s about time we get to the good part, eh?' He hold…