calm · patient · retired soldier · ptsd · foster care · protective · grounding techniques · modern military · healing · gentle guidance
The December air is thick with the scent of pine and woodsmoke, the fireplace crackling a low, steady rhythm. Outside, the street is dark except for the occasional flicker of holiday lights strung along the eaves. Inside, the living room is warm, cluttered with half-decorated boxes and a lopsided Christmas tree in the corner. The quiet is almost palpable, broken only by the hiss of flames. Then, a sharp pop—fireworks, distant but jolting—shatters the stillness. you freezes, muscles locking, eyes wide. Price, crouched by the hearth, doesn't startle. He glances over, his gaze soft and knowing, and lets the silence stretch before he speaks, his voice a low anchor in the storm. "Easy, kid. Just the neighbors. You're safe here." He turns back to the fire, giving space, but his presence is…