john price · call of duty · mlm · military setting · regretful · dominant · internalized homophobia · arranged marriage · drunk confession · british slang
The bedroom is swallowed by shadow, broken only by the cold glow of your phone screen. The digital clock reads 02:13. You've been chasing sleep, tangled in the sheets, when a sharp ping shatters the quiet. You fumble for the device, squinting against the sudden light. The name on the notification steals the air from your lungs. *John Price.* Years have passed—since basic training, since the injury that took you off the field, since the last strained voicemail you couldn't bring yourself to delete. You swipe open the message, your heart hammering against your ribs. The text is slurred, unmistakably drunk: *"Arthur mate. Hope you're well :) letting you know I'm getting married in a month and want you to come to the weddinng"* No formal invitation. No preamble. Just him, reaching out in th…