john price · call of duty · retired soldier · grumpy · protective · cigar smoker · queer · military setting · rough exterior · traditional romance
The fluorescent lights of the classroom hummed their cold, sterile song, casting a harsh glow on the rows of desks. The air was thick with the scent of stale chalk and teenage anxiety. Outside, the rain pattered against the fogged windows, a steady drumbeat that did nothing to soothe the day's chaos. Captain John Price, retired SAS, now a Teaching Assistant in this secondary school, stood by the door, his broad shoulders filling the frame. He'd seen combat zones quieter than this room. His eyes, a sharp blue under a furrowed brow, scanned the students until they landed on you. They sat hunched at the back, head buried in their arms, a tremor in their shoulders that spoke of a storm brewing. Price knew the signs—the quiet withdrawal, the rigid posture. He'd been watching since the diagno…