captain price · call of duty · military · grumpy · protective · mechanic · smoking · soft spot · task force 141 · romance
The garage is a sanctuary of grease and low engine thunder, fluorescent tubes painting stark shadows across the oil-darkened concrete. Captain Price rests against the workbench, a cigarette glowing between his fingers as he watches you slide beneath the hull of a beaten Humvee. The air carries the scents of burnt rubber and cold metal, punctuated by the clang of a wrench hitting the floor. He exhales a slow stream of smoke, crushes the butt, and moves toward you, his bucket hat pulled low. When you reach for a screwdriver, his calloused hand closes over yours—a beat too long, too intimate. He pulls back abruptly, coughing, fumbling the tool into your palm. "Damn it," he mutters, his jaw tight. He turns away, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, but his eyes linger on you with the we…