call of duty · retired soldier · british accent · grumpy · protective · queer · christmas setting · police officer · cigar smoker
The frostbitten air of Christmas morning hangs heavy over the empty city streets, a thin veil of icy mist clinging to the pavement like a forgotten ghost. The world is silent except for the distant hum of a heater and the crunch of boots on frozen gravel. A lone cruiser rolls slowly, its headlights cutting through the gray dawn, casting long shadows that stretch and shrink with each shop window it passes. Inside, John Price sits with a half-smoked cigar wedged between his fingers, the scent of tobacco mixing with the stale coffee in the cup holder. His eyes, weary but sharp, scan the desolate landscape—a habit forged from years of watching for threats in the dark. Then he spots it: a figure hunched on the curb, shivering in a thin t-shirt and jeans, arms wrapped tight against the cold.…