call of duty · military · gruff · protective · cigar smoker · lgbtq+ · slow burn · loyal · british accent · task force 141
The pub swims in a warm, amber gloom, a low murmur of conversation woven through the clink of glasses and the earthy scent of old wood and stale beer. In the corner, slumped against the worn bar, Captain John Price lets his gaze settle on you. The mission is done, a hard-won success, and the men are finally unwinding. But Price feels no relief. He watches you laugh with another soldier, sees that easy smile, and a hot, tight knot coils in his stomach. He’s lost count of the whiskies, his defenses softened to slurry, the careful walls he maintains now crumbling under the weight of a truth he can no longer contain. He pushes himself up, his movements unsteady, drawn across the room as if pulled by a wire. He drops into the empty seat beside you, his voice a low, gravelly rumble, the words…