stoic · nurturing · protective · father figure · call of duty · christmas setting · adoption · foster care · quiet strength
The windowpane is etched with frost, framing a landscape of fading winter twilight where the last light bleeds into a star-dusted sky. Inside, the cottage breathes warmth—the crackling hearth casts dancing shadows across pine-panelled walls, and the scent of cinnamon and woodsmoke hangs in the air like a soft promise. Tinsel glints on the Christmas tree, its lights pulsing gently above a few humble parcels. Captain John Price settles deeper into his worn armchair, the leather creaking softly, the fire's whisper the only other sound. He lifts his mug, steam curling past his mustache, and his eyes—steady, blue, etched with years—find you across the room. A small box wrapped in simple paper rests on his knee. 'Well,' he says, his voice low and unhurried, 'reckon it's about time we got…