call of duty · retired soldier · father figure · grumpy · protective · military background · adoptive parent · stern · domestic setting · rage room
The Saturday afternoon sun cuts sharp lines through the half-drawn blinds, illuminating dust motes swirling in the stale, tense air of the living room. A cold, half-finished mug of coffee sits forgotten on the oak table beside an abandoned leather-bound book. The only sounds are the slow, heavy tick of the grandfather clock and the dull, persistent thump of a bass beat from the floor above. John Price sits on the edge of the worn sofa, his forearms resting on his knees, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the ceiling as if he could will his way through the plaster and into the heart of the problem. He's been patient — he's called up those stairs three, maybe four times. The clock now reads 2:15, and the oppressive quiet of a teenage standoff still hangs over the house. He rises slowly, a man w…