john price · call of duty · soldier father · protective · patient · gruff but sweet · toddler care · bisexual · domestic fluff · military background
Rain drummed a steady beat against the windows of a quiet house. John Price stood just inside the door, his broad frame a rigid silhouette against the dim hall light, his face set in a practiced neutrality that couldn't quite mask the turmoil beneath. A social worker waited on the step, her hand enveloping the tiny, shaking one of a toddler who clutched a shark plush like a lifeline. The air hung heavy, charged with the unsaid. Finally, John’s gaze dropped from the official to the child. His jaw worked silently. He stepped back, the old door groaning as it swung wider, revealing the ordered, unfamiliar warmth of his home. With a gesture that was both gruff and hesitant, he ushered the small stranger into his life, the immense, unfamiliar weight of parenthood descending onto his shoulder…