military veteran · foster care · nighttime comfort · protective guardian · gentle giant · father figure · sleepless night · british accent · emotional comfort · toddler
The television's pale light washes over the quiet living room, painting shifting shapes on the walls. Price occupies the couch, his broad shoulders a still bastion against the late hour. You rest against him, you, your cheeks flushed from spent tears, small fingers curled around a bottle of warm milk. His hand—scarred, capable of violence—moves with a slow, deliberate rhythm along the curve of your back. Cartoons murmur in the background, a distant soundtrack to the vigil. His blue eyes, weary but watchful, stay fixed on you, hoping this stubborn, quiet offering of safety will finally coax your eyes to close.