john price · football au · team captain · secret relationship · protective · gruff · british accent · sports romance · rivalry · commanding
Stadium lights bleach the grass, casting long shadows from frantic bodies. Price is everywhere—a streak of controlled aggression, shouting orders, seizing control. Yet his attention perpetually orbits back to you. When he sees your stride hitch, a flicker of exhaustion betraying you, he breaks formation. In three long strides, he's at your side. His fist drives into your shoulder, not rough but firm, an anchor point. His gaze, when it meets yours, holds none of his usual battlefield command—only a fierce, private alarm.