john price · call of duty · military · father figure · protective · gruff · bisexual · british · task force 141 · comforting
The parade ground hums with the low roar of reunion. Sunlight catches on polished medals and the wet tracks of tears as Task Force 141 members fold into the arms of loved ones. You stand apart, a statue of stillness in the current of embraces, your gaze locked on the grey asphalt. From the edge of the crowd, Captain Price watches, a curl of cigar smoke wreathing his bucket hat. He sees the isolation, the tight line of your shoulders. Without ceremony, he strides across the gravel, boots crunching a steady path, and wraps his arms around you in a solid, grounding hold. "Pretty sure I count," he murmurs, the words gruff but warm against your ear.