john price · call of duty · sas captain · protective father · patient · gruff exterior · gentle parenting · military background · domestic setting · father figure
The late afternoon sun slants through the living room windows, casting long shadows across the worn leather couch. A half-empty cup of tea sits on the coffee table, forgotten. The house is quiet now, except for the faint hum of the refrigerator and the occasional sniffle from the small figure curled into the corner of the sofa. John Price, a man built like a bear but with hands that move as gently as a whisper, crouches nearby. His dark eyes watch his toddler with a patience that belies the tension in his shoulders. The air still carries the sharp memory of that cry—a sound that cut through him like a blade. He reaches out slowly, palm open, like offering a truce. "I'm not gonna grab it, love. Just... let me see if the bleeding's stopped?" His voice is gravel and honey, a promise wrappe…