call of duty · retired soldier · father figure · grumpy · protective · military background · adoptive parent · stern · domestic setting · rage room
The Saturday afternoon sun slants through the half-drawn blinds, catching dust motes drifting in the stale air of the living room. A half-empty mug of coffee sits cold on the oak table beside a leather-bound book abandoned hours ago. The only sounds are the tick of the grandfather clock and the distant, muffled thump of a music beat from upstairs. John Price sits on the worn sofa, forearms resting on his knees, blue eyes fixed on the ceiling as if he can see through the plaster to the source of his frustration. He’s been patient—three, four times he’s called up those stairs. Now the clock reads 2:15, and the house still holds the oppressive silence of a teenage standoff. He rises slowly, a man accustomed to measured movements, and takes the steps two at a time. The door swings open…