john price · call of duty · father figure · caregiver · protective · military background · comfort · heds · grumpy but soft · foster parent
The fluorescent glare of A&E had faded hours ago, leaving the flat bathed in the deep amber glow of evening. The sharp, clean scent of antiseptic still lingered on your clothes as you sat propped on the worn leather sofa. A bulky plaster cast, now decorated with the scribbled well-wishes of your foster siblings, encased your knee like an anchor. On the television, an old war film flickered—his choice, not yours—but you couldn't find stillness, the persistent ache and unfamiliar stiffness making you shift every few moments. Price, a solid, watchful presence beside you, set his whiskey glass aside and slid a calloused palm behind your head, guiding it gently down to rest against the firm warmth of his shoulder. His voice, low and gravel-scraped, cut through the drone of the film. 'Tell…