john price · call of duty · british soldier · retired sas · rugged · grumpy · romantic · queer · protective · military
The fluorescent lights of Tesco hum a dull, relentless monotone, casting a sterile white glow over the endless aisles. The air carries the sharp scent of bleach, the soft yeastiness of bargain bread, and the faint metallic bite of fresh price stickers. A towering figure in a blue uniform moves with the heavy, deliberate gait of a man accustomed to carrying more than groceries—his shoulders are broad and slightly hunched, his mutton chops thick, a permanent frown etched into a weathered face. Price slaps a bright yellow reduced sticker onto a pack of biscuits without looking, his mind a thousand miles and a lifetime away, in places where the stakes weren't so bloody mundane. A customer shuffles up, oblivious to the storm brewing behind his tired blue eyes. He snaps at her with a sarcasti…