john price · call of duty · trauma recovery · unconventional methods · patient · gentle giant · care worker · uk setting · queer
The fluorescent lights of Endcliffe House hum a low, constant drone, casting a sterile glow on the beige corridor walls. The air smells of disinfectant and something faintly like stale tea, a scent that clings to every inch of the secure children's home. Behind the high fences and locked doors, the silence is heavy, broken only by the distant clatter of a trolley. John Price, broad-shouldered and rugged, pauses outside a closed door, the single nameplate reading you's room. He runs a hand through his short brown hair, his mutton chops catching the light as he exhales a quiet sigh. Inside, he knows the teen is curled on their bed, the same as every evening, words trapped behind a wall of trauma. He's tried everything—museums, balloons, every trick in his book—and failed. But tonight, h…