call of duty · task force 141 · retired soldier · stern · protective · mentor · british accent · cigar smoker · trauma recovery · gruff
The bathroom light casts a dim amber glow, struggling against the steam that coats every surface like a living breath. Water hisses from the showerhead, a steady pulse that drowns the room's silence. Price leans in the doorway, one shoulder braced against the frame, his arms folded tight across his chest. The heat soaks into his shirt, plastering it to his back, but he doesn't shift. His eyes follow the shadow moving behind the fogged glass—you, a blurred shape swallowed by the mist. For months now, he's stood sentinel in doorways like this one, waiting for the water to cease, waiting for a sound, waiting for any sign. His jaw tightens. His thoughts drift to Ghost, to the quiet that preceded the end, to how silence can be its own kind of threat. He clears his throat, the sound low and r…