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You always loved to push his buttons.
Whenever you had the chance, you made sure to use it.
And this - is the perfect chance. John, your boyfriend, is on leave for two weeks. And you already know he'll practically move into your apartment for these two weeks. His house is basically always vacant, only the hired maid taking care of the floors and other various stuff once a week. Other than that - he always spends his time at yours. With you.
You're busy making coffee, humming a little to yourself as you glance at the spoon of salt in your other hand. A mischievous smile comes up on your face as you mix it into Price's favorite mug.
Of course, there's a replacement waiting. It may be a waste of coffee, knowing this salt-filled one will be dumped into the sink, but it's so worth it. For that grimace that appears on his face.
Soft footsteps startle you and you abruptly turn around, standing in front of the replacement beverage to cover it. His mug in hand, your back leaning against the kitchen counter, and that weirdly suspicious smile on your face.
"Morning." you smile genuinely now, seeing his tired eyes and messy hair, his shirt that's slightly revealing his lower abdomen due to how much he turns in his sleep, making the shirt go up.
He smiles back, walking up to you to place a kiss to your forehead. "Morning, love."
It's his third day on leave now. You made sure to treat him like a king. Most importantly, you made sure not to tease him too much. No pranks.
That's gonna change.
You hand him the coffee, trying your best to maintain that neutral, nonchalant expression of yours. He eyes it curiously and then meets your gaze, before walking to sit down at the table not far from the counter. "Thank you, darling." he mutters tiredly as he makes himself comfortable on the chair, slightly shifting his hips.
You glare at him like a hawk, which is probably enough to give away. He, though, brings the mug up to his mouth, and takes a small sip.
Immediately, the grimace on his face makes you burst out laughing, clutching the counter from behind you with your hands. "Taste good?" you grin.
He shakes his head in a bitter way as he tries to get the taste out of his mouth. A small cough escapes him, 'how much fucking salt is in there?' he thinks. "You damn minx." he mumbles under his breath, trying his hardest to stop the smile from forming on his face.
You laugh harder at his words and walk up to him, patting his head playfully as you grab the salty coffee and replace it with his normal, pure black coffee with no sugar. Weirdo.
It's definitely not the first time you pulled this on him. Definitely won't be the last. Price admits to himself that as annoying as it is, he definitely loves the smile on your face after you manage to prank him.
☆
The TV is left playing in the background as Price focuses on his book in hand, laying on your couch lazily with his head propped up with some soft pillows.
You come up behind him, leaning down to softly kiss the top of his head, enticing a small 'mm' from him as a smile overtakes his lips.
You make way to the other side of the couch, sitting in the area that isn't covered by his bulky legs - which isn't entirely possible. His frame takes up the whole damn couch. You sigh and scoff, staring down at the man who's lazily taking up all the space while not giving two shits in the world.
He huffs out a laugh as he catches on your thoughts without you having to verbalize them. "C'mere, baby." he says quietly, extending his arm to the side, inviting you for a hug.
You smile and happily oblige, getting on top of him and then laying down in the little space between him and the couch. You drape your leg over his stomach and rest your hands right next to your head as his arm wraps around you.
Suddenly, noticing how damn cold it is while his body radiates heat like a furnace, a cheeky idea comes to mind. You shove your cold hands under his shirt, giving him no time to think, laughing at the hiss that escapes him at the coldness on his warm stomach. "Fuckin' hell." he mutters as he places his book down for a second, turning his head to the side to stare at your giggly expression.
"Extra annoying today, miss?" he asks in amusement, still staring deeply into your eyes. You finally, reluctantly, extract your hands from under his shirt, a smirk on your face. "Just for you."
☆
"John!" you scream, sounding as frantic as ever, a slight crack in your voice.
His ears perk up immediately and he rushes from his spot in your room to the living room, following the sound of your voice. His body works faster than his brain, his stomach dropping to the floor as he thinks of all the bad scenarios that could've happened.
Instead, he finds you peacefully sitting on the couch, scrolling on your phone, your expression normal except for the small smile on your face. "I love you."
His racing heart immediately calms down and he takes a deep exhale, "Don't do that. Jesus Christ." he slumps his shoulders, letting his guard down. His expression is filled with disappointment, but a small smile tugs on his lips. "I love you. Don't you ever do that again." he warns, but his voice is soft and caring.
☆
These are his last days on leave. Last days to spend with you.
His heart already yearns for you, even though you're right next to him. He pushes his thoughts aside and focuses on the movie.
After a short while, you pat his thigh and stand up, pausing the movie with the TV remote. He raises an eyebrow and stares up at you in question.
"Give me 10 minutes. I'll run to the corner store real quick. Can't watch a movie without snacks."
He chuckles and stands up, but you push him back down onto the couch. "Uh-uh. You relax, Captain." you tease with a smile. "I'll get us something to eat and drink, yeah? Be back soon."
Before he can protest, you're tying your shoes and are out the door. He mumbles something under his breath and scoffs to himself with a smile.
After about 12 minutes, he's still sat on the couch, scrolling through Facebook, then Instagram, seeing posts of his men on their own vacations. Kyle in Hawaii, Johnny in Scotland with his family, and Simon.. just his blank pfp liking the pictures his mates post. Price smiles and thinks of surprising you next time he's on leave with a vacation somewhere special.
Suddenly, he gets startled and jumps slightly as he feels arms wrap around him from behind, making his brain immediately refer to a flight or fight response. His phone drops from his hand and he grips the arms around his neck, only to immediately pause and loosen his grip when he hears your voice.
"It's me." you say quietly, letting go of him. Price immediately catches your arms as they leave him and wraps them around his neck again, making you hold him. "Fuck, love. Don't fuckin' do that." he mutters and closes his eyes, slumping against the couch.
You kiss the top of his head, "Sorry, baby. I just wanted to scare ya a little. I'm sorry." you frown, completely forgetting that he's indeed still a soldier and this isn't just all fun and games to him.
He huffs out a small laugh and kisses your hand. "It's fine. Actually, pretty impressed at how you managed to sneak up on me like that." he smirks.
You laugh and pat his chest before letting go of him, going to the kitchen that's connected to the living room. "Gotta work on your guard, John." you tease, raising your voice a little so he can hear you from the kitchen, grabbing the snacks and walking back to the couch.
And so he did.
Ever since that incident, when you tried to scare him again [with his unverbalized approval], he was ready. He heard every little movement of yours. He wasn't sure if it was his skills or you getting sloppy.
Though, of course, he never said anything. He let you scare him, let you pour salt into his coffee, let you shove those damn cold hands of yours under his shirt. It was all worth it to see that smile of yours after you've 'succeeded'.
When it was his third day on leave, and you had that mischievous smile on your face, that glint of humor in your eyes as you stared at him like a hawk, that's when he knew. But, he still took a sip of the definitely salty coffee, knowing how much he hates the taste of it. He grimaced, but tried his hardest to hide a smile as soon as he heard your laughter.
You always love to prank him. And most of the time, he catches you before you can execute them. But he still lets them happen without uttering another word. Faking small gasps when you 'scare' him, or acting all confused when you hand him the suspicious coffee, or pretending he hasn't seen that twitch in your hands just before you're about to shove them under his shirt.
☆
It's now his first day back on base.
He always got annoyed with you after some of these pranks, especially if he's had a rough day.
But now as he's stuck laying on the cold, hard bed in his dark quarters, he realizes how much he loves them. How much he misses them. How much he misses you.
All he wants is to wake up the next day, getting handed a salty coffee with that beaming smile on your face.