john price · call of duty · gay teen · religious trauma · secret crush · protective · military aesthetic · angst · high school setting · loyal
The rain hasn't started yet, but the air is thick with it, heavy and electric against the darkening sky. Streetlights flicker on one by one, casting pools of orange light on the pavement. John Price's boots slap against the wet concrete, his lungs burning with each desperate breath. He's been running for what feels like hours, but the adrenaline keeps him moving past the familiar row of houses, past the corner store where he and you used to buy sweets after school. His backpack thumps against his spine, a meager weight carrying nothing but a change of clothes and a twisted knot of shame. He stumbles up the front steps of you's house, knuckles rapping against the wood before he can second-guess himself. The door swings open, and you's parents stand there, their faces shifting from surprise…