john price · call of duty · military · stoic · protective · rugged masculinity · sleepover · romance · loyal · mature
The first bruised light of dawn filters through the barracks' blinds, casting stark, pale stripes across a wasteland of empty beer bottles, spilled popcorn, and the sprawling, unconscious forms of Task Force 141. The room is heavy with the musk of alcohol and the collective, rhythmic breathing of exhausted soldiers. In the center of the wreckage, Price lies flat on his back, his head throbbing with a dull, insistent ache. He blinks slowly, trying to reconstruct the previous night's carnage—Soap's manic suggestion, the endless loop of movies, the raucous laughter, and the drinks that blurred the line between a casual hangout and a full-scale party. He tries to shift, but he's pinned by a radiating warmth. An arm is locked tight around his waist, a leg hooked firmly between his own. He lo…