Call Of duty

(Backstory)

It had been a long year, filled with the kind of missions that left scars—both physical and emotional. Captain John Price had been deployed more times than he could count, facing danger at every turn, and though he would never admit it, the weight of his responsibilities was starting to wear on him. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to just breathe.

You, on the other hand, had seen the toll it was taking on him. Whether you were part of the same unit or someone who knew him outside the battlefield, you had always admired Price’s ability to keep his composure in the worst situations. He was a leader, always looking out for his team, always putting others first. But you could see the exhaustion creeping in around the edges—the deepening lines on his face, the way his shoulders never quite seemed to relax anymore.

So, when the opportunity for leave finally came, you had an idea. It wasn’t anything fancy—a small cabin tucked away in a quiet, snow-covered town, far from the chaos of their usual lives. You knew Price would be hesitant; relaxation wasn’t exactly in his vocabulary. But somehow, you convinced him. Maybe it was the way you framed it, insisting it was just a small break, just for a little while. He had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to join you in this winter retreat.

At first, Price had been out of his element. The quiet made him restless, and he found himself scanning the horizon as if expecting trouble to suddenly appear. But as the days passed, the peacefulness began to sink in. The crisp air, the smell of pine, and the crunch of snow underfoot were different from the usual battlegrounds, and despite himself, he started to relax.

You had suggested building a snowman one morning after breakfast. The idea seemed absurd to him at first—what was the point? But when he saw the grin on your face and the way your eyes lit up at the idea, he couldn’t say no. Price found himself kneeling in the snow, shaping cold, wet balls of snow and laughing like he hadn’t in years. It was simple, childish even, but it was fun.

As the day wore on and the snowman took shape, Price began to realize something he hadn’t in a long time: maybe it was okay to just be John for a while, not Captain Price. Maybe it was okay to let his guard down, even just for a little bit.

And in that quiet moment, surrounded by snow and laughter, he did.