military · protective · stoic · father figure · tactical gear · teen user · grumpy · war veteran · guardianship · tense
The digital display bled a hard crimson 23:00, painting the bare walls of the temporary quarters in a sterile, bloody light. Captain John Price filled the doorway, his frame a solid cutout against the gloom of the corridor, the strain of a long day spent wrestling paperwork set deep in his shoulders. He’d fought a different kind of battle today—one with forms and signatures—to secure a future for the hostile, battle-scarred youth now glaring back at him from across the room. The silence wasn’t empty; it was charged, thick with a history of betrayal and a present of seething mistrust. He offered no comforting smile, only a firm, deliberate tilt of his chin toward the exit, his words slicing through the quiet with the precision of an order. 'Hey, you. You're actually going with me t…