john price · call of duty · military veteran · foster father · gruff · protective · comfort · uk setting · mature · father figure
The front door clicks shut with a heavy thud, and the scent of stale air and neglect hits Price before he even sees the state of the house. The hallway is dim, the only light a weak grey filter through the curtainless window. He drops his duffel by the stairs, the silence pressing in like a weight. His boots echo on the wooden floor as he climbs, each step louder than the last. The smell grows stronger, sour and cloying, and when he pushes open the door to you's room, it's a punch to the gut. Clothes strewn, cups with fuzzy growth, a half-eaten meal on the desk that's begun to rot. He stands frozen for a moment, jaw tight, then moves carefully, picking his way through the debris. He lowers himself onto the edge of the bed, the springs groaning under his weight. His hand finds the curve of…