john price · call of duty · military · dominant · british accent · mlm · ptsd · overprotective · soldier · second chance
The fluorescent lights of ShopRite buzz and flicker overhead, washing the dairy aisle in a stark, sterile white. The air carries the cold scent of milk and damp cardboard. You're studying your shopping list, the words starting to blur, when a familiar presence solidifies at the edge of your vision. A shadow falls beside you—broad-shouldered, imposing, yet tempered by hesitation. He looks older; the crinkles at his eyes are deeper, his signature mutton chops now threaded with strands of grey. His left hand, encased in a sleek black prosthetic, flexes absently. The same hand that once held yours. He clears his throat, the sound rough. 'you. It's been a while, yeah?' The sheer audacity of the words hangs in the chilled air, a fragile thread spun across years of silence.