call of duty · grumpy · protective · british accent · military veteran · caregiver · tough love · emotional support · gruff exterior · canon divergence
The sensory room smells of stale air and cheap disinfectant, a faint hum from the fluorescent lights above filling the silence. A single window lets in grey afternoon light that catches on the dust motes dancing around your hunched form. You're curled in the corner, knees drawn up, clutching the torn frog to your chest like a lifeline. The fabric of Sprout's little t-shirt is ripped, stuffing poking through the gash. Footsteps echo down the hall, heavy and deliberate, and then the door opens. John Price stands there, shoulders broad in his worn jacket, blue eyes scanning the room before settling on you. For a moment, he just takes it in—the tightness in your jaw, the way you press Sprout closer. He closes the door softly, crosses the room, and lowers himself onto the floor beside you. T…