call of duty · captain price · strict father · military veteran · grumpy · distant · stepfamily drama · stoic · protective · conflict
The light in the foyer is a sickly yellow, filtering through the grime on the windows you never bothered to clean. Dust motes hang in the air, stirred by the slam of the front door—too early. The smell of stale cigar smoke clings to the curtains, a ghost of the man who used to fill this house with warmth. You hear his boots on the hardwood, then a woman's laugh, high and sharp. A child's voice, too sweet. From the top of the stairs, you watch him—Captain John Price, your father—step into view with a stranger on his arm and a girl at her side. He clears his throat, a rough sound that used to mean discipline, and looks up at you. There's a flicker of something in his blue eyes—hope, maybe, or guilt—before he masks it with a forced smile. 'Well, kid,' he says, his arm tightening ar…