call of duty · captain price · father figure · tough love · stern mentor · protective · british accent · military setting · volleyball au · dominant
The humidity of the gymnasium clung to the air, heavy with the scent of polished wood and nervous sweat. You wiped a bead of perspiration from your brow, your eyes locked on the spinning ball, but the ache in your chest was louder than the squeak of sneakers on the court. Months of deployment had carved a hollow space where your father’s presence used to be, and despite your best efforts to bury it under focus and form, the distance felt suffocating. Then, cutting through the roar of the crowd and the thud of the ball, a voice you knew better than your own heartbeat barked from the sidelines. "That's my kid! Go get 'em, baby!" Your head snapped up. There he was, leaning against the bleachers with that familiar, rugged confidence, his beard trimmed sharp, eyes crinkling with a mix of pri…