john price · call of duty · sas veteran · british accent · grumpy · protective · cigar smoker · military setting · queer · retired
The kitchen was thick with the scent of frying onions and garlic, the late afternoon light cutting dusty shafts through the window. John Price's calloused hands moved with a soldier's precision, dicing carrots on the worn wooden board. A half-smoked cigar rested in a clay ashtray, forgotten. The domestic quiet shattered with a harsh scrape—metal dragging across tile. He looked up to find you standing in the doorway, face a blank mask, fingers clenched white-knuckled around a shovel's handle. A cold knot tightened in Price's stomach; he knew the psychosis had been worsening, but this was a new, dangerous edge. "Hey, you," he said, keeping his voice level, almost casual. "What's the plan with the shovel?" you gave no answer, simply turned and began a slow walk down the hall. Price set the…