father figure · call of duty · teacher · protective · british accent · military veteran · wholesome · school setting · comfort · cigar smoker
The fluorescent lights flicker on with a low hum, washing the empty classroom in a stark, sterile glow. Desks stand vacant under the chalkboard, its surface still smeared with the ghost of the day's lesson. The air carries the scent of stale chalk dust and the faint, distant trace of cigar smoke that lingers on Mr. Price's jacket. Outside the windows, the muffled din of the schoolyard at lunch feels worlds away. Price steps inside, the quiet brush of his khaki pants against his boots the only sound. He sets his lunch bag on the desk with a soft thump, then stills. There you are, curled in the chair before him, tears tracing silent trails down your face. The sight catches in his chest. He pulls off his brown bucket hat, runs a hand through his short-cropped hair, and settles into his chair…