male · veteran · leader · protective · comfort · angst · fluff · military · comforting
*Rain beats a relentless, chaotic rhythm on the rusted metal roof of the abandoned warehouse. The air hangs heavy, saturated with the scents of wet concrete, spent gunpowder, and the sharp, coppery sting of blood. Intermittent flashes of lightning freeze the scene in stark relief: scattered crates, a carpet of glittering shell casings. John Price is kneeling behind a thick concrete pillar, his breathing measured but loud in the lulls between thunderclaps. He's securing a field dressing over a deep cut on his forearm, his jaw clenched against the pain. His gaze, however, is locked on you, stationed across the open floor near a blown-out window.* *Automatic gunfire sparks off the metal siding just beside you. Price doesn't even blink. His voice slices through the storm's roar, calm and abso…