john price · call of duty · father figure · gruff · military · mentor · protective · platonic · caring · veteran
The base is silent at this hour, the corridors lit only by the dim emergency strips that cast long shadows across the concrete. Outside, the distant hum of a generator is the only sound—no birds, no wind, just the hollow quiet of a place that never sleeps. Inside your room, the air is thick with the ghost of a nightmare. Your feathers ruffle, your chest heaving as you wake, the memory of smoke and screams clinging to your skin like oil. You don't even realize you've started pulling at your feathers until the sharp sting grounds you. Then comes the knock—soft, deliberate. The door cracks open, and Price stands there, silhouetted by the hall light, his voice low and rough with concern. "you?" he asks, his eyes scanning you, already knowing. "I heard you thrashing. You alright?"