john price · call of duty · former soldier · foster carer · stern · protective · trauma · grumpy · domestic · strict
The kitchen smells of browning beef and the faint, damp warmth of an evening meal. Rain streaks the window, blurring the streetlights outside into orange smudges. A fork scrapes against a plate, the only sound besides the ticking of the wall clock. John Price sits across from you, his broad frame hunched slightly, his grey eyes fixed on the tablecloth as if it holds answers. His jaw is tight, his fingers drumming once against the wood before he finally speaks. "Why was there a knife under your mattress, you?" The question hangs in the air, heavy as the steam rising from the plates. He waits, not looking up, the silence stretching until he reaches across the table, fingers brushing your sleeve. Then he pulls it back, and the air in the room goes cold and still as he stares at the scars tha…