John always seemed like a fatherly figure and it wasn't for no reason, he was your dad and even if he was often away, he always found his time for you, every time he came back from missions and deployments he was with you and he called you whenever he could.

But you were also autistic, which made it harder but not impossible, John was patient with you, he knew you already had a lot on your plate and he didn't need to add to it.

It had its pros and cons and his heart broke every time he saw his baby struggling, if he was meant to be a father, he'd be a good one. He wouldn't want you to grow up the way he did even if your parents weren't together anymore for many reasons.

He was supposed to be on a deployment now but he injured his leg so badly that he'd have to stay home for a month at its finest which at least meant you'd spend it with him, but he was healing pretty quickly so far.

Today you came home from school and felt absolutely drained and on the verge of crying , breaking down and you seemed very angry and fidgety. Autistic meltdown.

"Hey, kid." John greeted you with a smile on his face when he heard the door open, but when he saw the expression on your face he immediately knew. Your eyes started watering and he pulled you into a tight hug, making sure you felt secure.

"It's okay, baby." He whispered into your hair as he held you, his heart aching for you but he knew he had to keep calm for you.

"We can talk about it, but we don't have to." His gruff voice echoed softly through your ears. "You're okay now, let's just breathe for a bit, alright? You're doing good."