A Living Shield (John Price x OC/Reader slowburn)

30) Beaten, Blushing and Bruised

You didn't have time to flinch or avoid. No reaction speed to slip out of the way. Or to fully process the hand you saw quickly approaching. It was almost like your mind was just waiting for the moment of impact. A single blink being the only response you seemed able to produce.

That was before the sharp sound that blew up in your left ear.

As you winced away from the loud bang, you turned around in a confusing daze. Immediately noticing the barrel in your peripheral, accompanied by the rest of the gun and the dark, murderous stare behind it. It's focus solely on the hand that had tried grasping your face, now quickly flying out of sight.

It dawned on you insanely fast what you'd avoided just now. The Chinese operative had intended to drag you down with him, grabbing the closest thing to him in his doom. Eager to grab on to anything or anyone. And it seemed Price had anticipated it right on time, shooting him straight in the chest. Practically propelling him away from you.

His pitiful wail, as the man finally toppled down, didn't last long before you heard the definitive thud and the operative smacked against the concrete down below. Ending all sound and ushering in the all-encompassing silence of a life violently abrupted.

Jesus Christ. Jesus fucking Christ- that- that was so close.

For a second all you registered was heavy panting from the both of you. The silence loaded with the thrill of adrenaline ebbing away and the aftermath of a bloody fight.

Your head was still hurting like a bitch, your breathing a little ragged from the amount of pressure it had endured, but you ignored the pain. A light concussion and a banged up face was the least of your issues.

You turned to face your captain properly this time, eyes locking as you just stared at each other, exhausted from the struggle you'd both been through. Price's eyes were loaded with emotion as he scanned every inch of your face. His eyes finally letting up as he saw you staring back solidly. A bit shaken yes, but fully present.

They looked surprisingly clear, the blue in them popping, like this was the sort of situations he thrived in. Hell, they looked alive, as if the adrenaline had sparked him awake, high stakes are clearly what he thrived on. And you could relate. You almost didn't spot the pride in them as he glanced between you and the room ever so slightly, before he closed them and dragged his hand across his face, groaning in exhaustion.

Price looked pale, sweat streaking his furrowed and hat covered forehead, clearly having gone through hell the last few minutes and you didn't want to think what could have happened if you'd been any later than you already were. The idea alone made you nauseous.

"Sergeant, are you- how'd you get here?", he started before correcting himself, his voice ragged and low as he caught his breath.

"You stopped responding Cap, so I came to find you. Sorry I was late."

Your voice surprised you a little as it came out rough, it seemed your trachea had taken a bigger hit than you expected and it'd made you hoarse.

"What happened, sir?", you asked lightly, not sure what to think of the situation as you walked around him, taking in the room and the chaos, raising your hands in a silent question.

"Fuckers cornered me and broke my responder, that's all. Would've made it just fine, you didn't have to-", he now huffed audibly, his face slightly wincing at the discomfort he was in. "You didn't need to come all this way, Wraith. You should've stayed with the others. Secured the intel."

You could hear the dismissal in his voice towards you already, as he was trying to play off the dire situation he'd just been in. Lord forbid your captain admitted he'd needed help. Not that you were particularly great at it, but at least you knew when to accept it and thank people for it. Something you knew good 'ol Captain Price was incapable of. That and the ability to say sorry without it somehow ending up in mockery.