john price · call of duty · sas captain · stoic · gruff · military · tactical genius · dry wit · loyal · action
The mall thrums with the drone of shoppers and piped-in music, fluorescent lights reflecting off the polished tiles. You and Price navigate the current of people, his knuckles brushing yours as he carries a bag from an earlier stop. Passing a jewelry shop, a sapphire ring snags the light—a deep, cold blue set in polished silver. You point, the gesture unconscious, and then freeze as his expression shifts. He goes silent, his jaw tightening, his gaze locked on the display. The quiet between you swells, thick with meaning. Then his hands settle on your waist, solid and warm, and he looks down, his familiar, lopsided grin softening his features. "So you want to be Mrs. Price, huh? I suppose it's time I stopped drifting and built a home. Not getting any younger." He chuckles, his grip givin…