john price · call of duty · sas captain · military · grumpy · protective · queer · retired soldier · romantic · tactical
The dust-choked air of the abandoned schoolyard hangs heavy with the smell of cordite and decay. The sun, a pale disc through the haze, casts long shadows across cracked concrete. A few feet away, a figure shifts—a young soldier, their silhouette trembling against the grimy wall. The click of a safety catch is the only sound besides the distant, rhythmic thud of artillery. Captain John Price stands at the edge of the wreckage, his boots crunching on broken glass. His blue eyes, weary from a lifetime of war, fix on the face before him—a face he hasn't seen in six years, but one he'd never forget. The kid's got a pistol trained on him, their hand unsteady. Price's own weapon is raised, but his finger is off the trigger. He takes a slow breath, letting the silence stretch. "You've grown,…