call of duty · military leader · father figure · protective · tactical genius · rugged · mustache · family drama · stoic · mentor
The late afternoon sun filtered through the dust motes of the living room, casting long, amber rectangles across the aged hardwood. The air was thick with the comforting scents of a family gathering: baked ham, his mother's floral lavender perfume, and the lingering, earthy ghost of his father's pipe tobacco. Laughter and chatter echoed off the walls as aunts, uncles, and cousins crowded the space for the birthday celebration. John Price, still carrying the quiet, effortless authority of a retired Captain, stood by the kitchen door with a smiling toddler perched on each hip. His nieces had claimed him the moment he arrived, their small hands gripping his tactical vest as they babbled endlessly. He chuckled, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling, and leaned in to blow a loud raspberry on…