Chapter Text
Price stepped back onto base, expecting to be greeted by his partners, and his subordinates, but no one was there. He looked around the base and it seemed like a ghost town. The buildings seemed to tower higher than usual, and despite it being morning the sun was setting.
“Huh, must have overslept on the flight or something. If we had landed on time, Nik should have woken me up hours ago,” Price wondered as he took a walk around the base.
He entered the mess for a snack. It was empty. He checked the rec room. Empty. He checked the obstacle course. Empty.
“What the hell is going on here?” Price furrowed his brow, scratching his head under his cap.
When Price finally entered the office building, he heard some sounds down the hall.
“Finally!” Price sighed as he turned the knob to his office, but he growled at the sight in front of him.
A very striking-looking Alpha sat in a desk chair wide enough to be a couch. Soap and Gaz were perched on either side of the alpha on the couch while Ghost and Roach rested their upper bodies on his knees.
The larger alpha was whispering sweet nothings into Soap’s ear while he ran his fingers through Gaz’s hair. They were all content and purring… even Roach was purring. Odd.
“What in the fresh hell is going on here?” Price raged, irritated by this strange alpha’s presence.
The alpha laughed heartily, like some really obnoxious character from American superhero films. He had matching black hair and blue eyes to boot, muscles rippling for days, and a thin waist. He was younger, closer to Soap, Gaz, and Roach’s age.
“Ah, Captain Price! I see you have returned from your trip!” this alpha’s voice even sounded loud, and obnoxious. The accent very much matched whatever region of the US comic book artists place their characters.
Everyone else was either unaware of his presence or they were actively ignoring him, hanging off of this alpha like he were some sort of god.
“Who are you?” Price narrowed his eyes.
“This is Captain Rogers,” Kyle said matter-of-factly as if the man were some sort of celebrity. Kyle did not make eye contact with Price, eyes focused on this Captain Rogers.
“Such a good alpha. Breeds me so good,” Johnny cooed next, adoration apparent through the way the omega melted into the man’s side.
“Okay, well I’m back so it’s time to say goodbye,” Price gritted out, an uneasy feeling falling over him as everything in his office seemed to start towering over him.
Gary rolled his eyes at Price resting his head on Roger’s knee, Ghost just smiling content.
“What happened to König anyway?” Price narrowed his eyes at each of them in turn, clenching his jaw.
As if on cue König entered the room with a tray of food in a maid outfit.
“Captain, I have the snacks you ordered,” König timidly approached.
“König is timid, but he’s not this timid,” Price’s eye twitched, about to rip them all a new one when it hit him.
The absurdity of it clued Price in that he was dreaming. It made sense. The sun was in an odd position in the sky. A base bustling with recruits empty. König in a maid outfit, not that he was against it if König was into it. Suddenly, everything didn’t seem so intimidating, but it was all still bizarre.
“This is one fucked dream,” Price thought, “maybe I should have laid off the superhero films…”
Shrugging, Price figured he’d ride the dream out to see exactly what this ‘perfect’ alpha Price’s subconscious conjured up was capable of.
Price wondered why he hated himself because this dream temp captain seemed to fix all the problems Price pictured in his mind. All of the issues caused by his incompetence or exacerbated by his incompetence.
The first was that Ghost had no problem wandering around the base without a mask, being the picture of perfect comfort. He and Soap earned medals upon medals and Rogers sang their praises on a job well done.
They weren’t supposed to be going on missions, they were benched. If it weren’t for König’s constant presence in the maid outfit, Price would question Laswell’s loyalty not that he wouldn’t be proud of his boys regardless. It just hurt thinking about them moving on without him, seemingly better off when he’s gone.
Gaz finally worked up the courage to ask out Roach. The two built a mini harem in their little section of the polycule. Again, if this weren’t a dream Price would consider tendering his resignation based on how healthy Gaz looked now.
It seemed like his home slipped away, everything he loved moving further from his grasp until he was swallowed up by darkness. Tumbling away as he shook.
Price jerked and gasped, rubbing sleep from his eyes and looking around. He was in a helo on the way back to base. Price guesses they hit turbulence and that’s what shook him awake.
“Everything alright, John?” Nik asked as he had met John in Mexico. They spent an extra day so Nik could catch some sun, sleep, and say hello to Ale and Rudy.
“Just a nightmare,” John sighed, then hesitated, “Did they miss me at all?”
“Are you insane? Of course they did!” Nik was incredulous, “By the time we land, you’re going to see just how much.”
Price stepped off the tarmac for real to be greeted by Roach, Soap, Gaz, and König. All bright smiles, Price was briefly confused by the gentle giant’s presence.
“Captain John Price, Captain Kilgore König here to welcome your return,” König barked, standing tall and glancing downward just like Soap taught him because the beta was even taller than Price.
Price furrowed his brow tilting his head to the side, there was no maid outfit so Price definitely wasn’t dreaming. He would have thought maybe they were pranking him but Soap’s beaming indicated this wasn’t a joke.
“Alright, Captain Jonathan Price returning to relieve Captain Kilgore König from duty,” Price acknowledged, meeting König’s eyes the two exchanging nods worthy of captains.
König somehow managed to stand taller at the acknowledgment.
Price looked across the bunch. Someone was missing. Knots formed in Price’s gut when he noticed Simon wasn’t with everyone else. Did something happen to him?
“Where’s—“ Price began.
Before he could finish a brick wall seemed to land on him out of nowhere. Solid muscle tensed and squeezed around Price, fabric tickling under his beard. Ghost tackled Price and wrapped his arms and legs around Price purring aggressively. The large alpha broadcasted a flurry of emotions in his scent that he usually kept well under control.
Price wrapped his arms around Ghost and squeezed Ghost back, taking in his scent. “Didn’t realize they’d miss me so much, Simon is losing it,” Price's heart warmed, enjoying the feeling of the weight of Simon on him, even if the display was unbecoming of two COs.
“Christ, Simon,” Price chuckled, rubbing the back of his head on Ghost’s signature balaclava as he planted gentle kisses along Ghost’s cheek over the mask, “I missed you too!”
When Ghost didn’t move for a longer moment than appropriate for the situation, Price sighed. He knew Simon was not going to let go, but Price did not want to lay on the tarmac.
He planted his feet, and in an incredible show of strength, he pushed himself off the ground with the Ghost still attached. He held Simon under his thighs for support, not that Simon needed it with how tight his legs were wrapped around Price.
“Seems my lieutenant needs my attention,” Price tried to remind Ghost of his rank, but the alpha buried his face deeper into Price’s shoulder a soft whine didn’t escape Price’s ear, imperceptible to everyone but Soap, “Okay, okay.”
Price looked at the others apologetically before walking off to his room. They all just nodded in understanding. Ghost thought he was hiding it well, but they could all feel that he missed Price the most.