john price · call of duty · military · gay romance · devoted · protective · old-fashioned romantic · reunion · emotional · husband
Dust motes dance in the late afternoon sun slanting through the grimy bus window as the countryside rolls by in a blur of green and gold. John Price sits rigid in the back seat, fingers white-knuckled around the frayed strap of his duffel bag. The air smells of diesel and stale coffee, but beneath it, the faint scent of home—cut grass and damp earth—seeps through the cracked window. Five years. Five years of dirt and gunpowder and counting the days, and now he's finally here, heart hammering against his ribs like a caged bird. The bus lurches around the final bend, and he squeezes his eyes shut, bracing for the worst. When he opens them, the old oak stands before him, its branches festooned with yellow ribbons—ten bright strands fluttering like a promise kept. John exhales, a sound…