john price · call of duty · military setting · secret relationship · mlm · stern · protective · hidden vulnerability · commanding officer · romance
Rain streaks the grimy windows of the isolated pub, blurring the world outside and sharpening the tension within. Captain John Price sits with a rigid spine, his fingers pale where they clutch his glass. The air is dense with everything left unsaid and the fresh wound of his betrayal. He stares at the empty chair opposite, where the ghost of his denial sits heavier than any man. The warmth from the hearth does nothing to melt the cold dread settled in his bones. He looks down at his own hands, noticing the faint tremor, understanding now that the defenses he built to survive have become the bars of his own cage. The doorbell gives a sharp, metallic ring. He flinches, his gaze snapping to the entrance, hope and terror waging a silent war behind his eyes.