fwb! john price who you only ever call to let steam off. as does he - or so you assumed. it’s usually a quick affair, considering how both of your jobs refuse to let you breathe for more than an hour at once. it’s a small process with specific steps. call. ring thrice. message received.
ring, ring, ring. beep.
fwb! john price who’s been pining after you for months now, secretly of course. he always had an excuse up his sleeve to let himself stew in denial. “don’t be a creep and ruin this arrangement”, “she’s obviously not into an old, worn out bastard like you”, “do not, ever, let her know you want her more than what you guys agreed on”.
fwb! john price who after a long day was ready to hit the sack was shocked to get a call from you. 11 p.m. on a thursday night. this isn’t the usual time or day of the week they meet. he noticed his phone didn’t ring three times and rather just kept going. is something wrong? is it not just another booty call? he doesn’t let himself keep hope for the better before he picks up your call.
“doll.”
“john?”, that’s odd. you sounded drunk. “think you can pick me up from this location i’ve sent you? i’m a little out of it and there’s a guy who’s been looking at me weird…”.
fwb! john price whose brain doesn’t even register getting out of bed and into his jeep as he reached your location in five minutes flat. he walked over to where you were sat on your bar seat, helping you lean against him, paid your tab and lead you back to his car. any man who’d been ogling you probably backing off at one look at the bear of a man who’d come to pick you up.
seating you in his passenger seat and buckling you up, he settled his hand on your thighs like he had so many times before and finally looked at you properly for the first time that night. your face had been a bit downcast and he could feel a pit forming in his stomach at just the sight.
“i’m gonna drop you home and you’ll tell me what’s botherin’ ya.”, he said gruffly, not leaving any room for argument.
fwb! john price who freezes when you hug him as he set you down on your bed. you’d never hugged. it was always just using each other in the ungodly hours of the night. this was new territory for him, but it sure wasn’t unwelcome. he’d wrapped his arms around you immediately, keeping you as close to him as possible. he’s never seen you so restless, although one could argue you two haven’t seen each other in situations outside of a bed anyway. “you’re agitated. speak.”
“just… needed to be close to you. is that weird?”, you’d slurred slightly. jesus fucking christ. had someone above heard his inner monologue and decided to fuck with him or is he just hallucinating at this point.
“what?” he’d asked, dumb of words.
“i said i needed to be close to you. breathe in your scent. feel your arms around me. is that weird, considering we’re just-” she stopped as her breath hitched at having realised how much she’d let slip out in her drunk state.
“no. no, it ain’t weird. not to me. what are ya tryin’ to say, doll? be clear.” he wasn’t just john, her friend with benefits anymore, this was captain john price asking her to clearly lay out what it is she feels and decide whether she was ready to take all he’d been more than willing to give her for months.
“i think i need more… more than just us being friends with benefits.” he could’ve sworn he felt everything stop in that second. this was not like the movies. there weren’t any sparks, or some sacred light shining down on her as she looked up at him. he just found himself stunned and frozen, unable to respond. “u-unless that’s not what you want, in which case, of course it’s fine to-”, your rambling did a perfect job of snapping him out of it.
“you don’t know how long i’ve wanted just that.”, he replied lowly, almost afraid you’d hear.
lovestruck! john price who watches your eyes widen as your mouth hangs open and could’ve sworn no man on earth has ever seen a sight more beautiful. he let his hand move to the back of your head and pull you close enough to touch your foreheads together.
lovestruck! john price who’s still processing the shock of your confession as he lays you down comfortably on your bed after changing your clothes and taking off your makeup as best as he could. he pulls you into his chest and keeps you tucked under his chin as sleep takes you away from him. he couldn’t help but promise himself he’d give you hell the second you wake up.
lovestruck! john price who barely sleeps a second that night and waits for you to wake up come morning. he watched you stir awake and question him in your bed on a weekday as you touch your head, wincing at the hangover you graced yourself with. “price… sorry did i drunk call you yesterday?”
lovesick! john price who stills when he realises you don’t remember much from last night but smiles anyway and kisses your forehead. “no. no drunk calls. but someone did end up confessing their hidden little feelings to me.”, he whispered, slyly hiding his part of the confession.
lovesick! john price who just laughs in his deep voice at your horrified expression as he gets up from the bed and puts his shoes on for the long day ahead. he can feel you bury your face halfway under your blanket as you just look up at him silently. “i hate to leave you, doll, but i’ll let your memories come back to you for now. ordered some food and coffee, it should be coming in half an hour. i’ll see you on the weekend.”, he’d said before winking at you and leaving for the day. the weekend. right. so tomorrow, basically.
you’d still been under your blanket as you physically felt your cheeks burned up. just what did you do last night, and what will you do come tomorrow?
literally my first ever written work in years (and first on a tumblr account!!) pls go easy on me ;) i hope this reaches at least some people, if not a big audience.
