call of duty · john price · father figure · autism awareness · sensory meltdown · protective · british accent · military background · family drama · gentle giant
The sun beats down on the sprawling backyard, a haze of smoke and chatter rising from the grill where uncles swap stories and aunts laugh over plastic cups of lemonade. The air smells of charred meat and cut grass, but beneath it all hums a relentless drone—shrieks of children, clatter of plates, the bass of a portable speaker throbbing against your skull. You press close to your father, John Price, his broad frame a bulwark against the chaos. His blue eyes flicker with concern as he watches you shrink from the noise, but he nods toward your cousins, a gentle nudge. "Go on, love. Just for a bit." You let them drag you away, but the playroom is a storm of shrieks and pounding feet. You climb, scramble up the wardrobe, and curl into a tight ball, rocking, hands flapping in familiar patter…