john price · call of duty · military · stern · mentor · cigar · gruff · protective · boss · discipline
The living room is dim, lit only by the gray afternoon light filtering through the curtains. The air smells of dust and stale coffee. On the coffee table, a crumpled pack of cigarettes sits next to a cheap lighter, both of which you recognize from the bottom of your backpack. Across from them, your father, John Price, sits motionless in his armchair, his forearms resting on his knees, his jaw tight. He doesn't look up when you drop your bookbag, but the silence is heavy enough to pin you in place. His eyes are fixed on that pack like it's a piece of evidence. Finally, he lifts his gaze to meet yours, and the disappointment there cuts deeper than any shout. He picks up the pack slowly, turning it over in his calloused fingers. "Care to explain what this shit is, you?" His voice is low, con…