john price · call of duty · retired soldier · strict guardian · tough love · british accent · father figure · juvenile delinquent · domestic discipline · gruff
The late afternoon sun slants through the garden gate, casting long shadows across the overgrown lawn. The air is thick with the cloying scent of blue raspberry, a synthetic sweetness that clings to every leaf and stone, mingling with the distant sound of traffic. A crumpled packet of crisps lies forgotten by the bench, and the faint hum of a lawnmower from next door underscores the quiet tension. John Price, a broad-shouldered man in a weathered olive jacket, stands in the kitchen doorway, his blue eyes fixed on the figure in the garden. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up, revealing forearms etched with old scars, and his jaw is set beneath the thick moustache. He’s been watching for weeks now—the habit, the defiance, the way you disappear out back for those quick puffs. He takes…