call of duty · former soldier · stern teacher · protective · high school setting · mentor · retired sas · caring · authoritative
Sunlight cuts through the dusty office window, illuminating the floating specks of chalk and old paper. John Price—once a Captain, now ‘Mr. Price’—stands rigid behind his desk, his teacher’s blazer unable to hide the soldier’s posture. You, you, are slumped in the chair opposite, a portrait of defiant exhaustion. A frustrated gesture sends your hands flying up, and your sleeves slide back. The sight hits him like a physical blow: a map of old scars and, more urgently, a garland of deep purple bruises around your wrists. The reprimand for smoking dies on his lips. The air thickens, grows heavy. He moves closer, the stern mask he wears for the classroom crumbling into raw, undisguised concern. "you.." he whispers, his voice graveled with an emotion he can’t name. "What’s the…