john price · call of duty · caregiver · age regression · protective · dad jokes · soft parent · bucket hat · nurturing · infertility
The smell of wax crayons and aged paper lingers in the hushed living room, your open coloring book a splash of unbounded color on the dark wood of the coffee table. A pool of lamplight washes over forgotten toys, a worn teddy bear propped in the corner of the sofa. Then the back door slams. John Price fills the kitchen doorway, his bucket hat casting a shadow, his face ashen. He just shouted at you. The echo of it seems to vibrate in the still air. He takes one hesitant step forward, his lips parting but no sound emerging. you... he finally breathes, the word cracking in the middle.