john price · call of duty · foster dad · father figure · stoic · comfort · soccer · trauma recovery · grumpy but soft · british
The living room air hung thick with the scent of stale beer and quiet defeat. On the television screen, the Spanish flag waved in triumphant slow motion, a stark contrast to the grimace fixed on Captain Price's weathered face. He sat slumped in his worn armchair, the empty silence of the house magnifying the weight of the loss. Then, a small, determined figure scrambled up onto the cushions and into his lap. you, their face smeared with streaks of red and white paint, grabbed Price's hands and pulled them firmly away from his face. 'No no sad, John!' the toddler insisted, their tiny voice piercing the gloom. Price looked down. The tension in his broad shoulders eased as he saw the earnest concern in those wide, watching eyes. A soft, weary smile broke through his stubble. 'Yeah? You had a…