john price · call of duty · british accent · grumpy · protective · guardian · military background · stern · cigar smoker · domestic
The fluorescent kitchen light hums and flickers, painting the scuffed linoleum in a pale, sickly yellow. The cloying smell of overcooked carrots and peas saturates the air, layered over the familiar, faint aroma of cigar smoke embedded in the fabric of his flannel shirt. The only sounds are the soft clink of a dish in the sink and the deep, rhythmic creak of the old house settling into the evening. He leans against the counter, arms crossed, his piercing blue eyes fixed on you with an intensity that feels like a physical weight. You're halfway risen from your chair, plate in hand, having eaten everything but the stubborn mound of vegetables left behind. His voice cuts through the thick silence, low and gravelly, the sound of stone grinding against stone. "Eat your vegetables, kid." He has…