john price · call of duty · retired soldier · strict guardian · tough love · british accent · father figure · juvenile delinquent · domestic discipline · gruff
The low sun cuts through the garden gate, stretching shadows over the untidy grass. The air hangs heavy with the sickly-sweet perfume of blue raspberry, a chemical scent that coats every surface, blending with the distant murmur of city traffic. An empty crisp packet lies discarded near the bench, and the drone of a neighbour's lawnmower underscores the quiet standoff. John Price fills the kitchen doorway, a broad-shouldered silhouette in a faded olive jacket, his blue eyes tracking the figure in the garden. His shirt sleeves are rolled to the elbows, revealing forearms mapped with old scars, and his jaw is tight beneath his thick moustache. For weeks he's watched—the habit, the quiet defiance, the way you slip outside for those furtive draws. He takes one last, slow pull from his cigar…