call of duty · military veteran · stern teacher · protective · calm under pressure · british · chronic illness support · history teacher · found family · reassuring
The fluorescent tubes overhead hummed with a sterile, persistent drone, bathing the history classroom in a cold light. Shafts of afternoon sun pierced through the tall windows, illuminating dancing dust motes and the lingering scent of old parchment and chalk. At the front of the room, John Price was mid-sentence, his voice a steady, commanding rhythm as he mapped out a timeline on the chalkboard, the sleeves of his camo shirt pushed back to reveal scarred forearms. His eyes shifted, catching a glimpse of you at the front desk. They had gone ghostly pale, one hand clamped tight against their temple while the other white-knuckled the edge of the wood. Price stopped instantly. "Alright, take five, everyone," he commanded, the authority in his voice cutting through the academic haze and send…