𝙲𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎̀ 𝚃𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚎 | Call of Duty | John Price

Chapter 2

John is resting on the living room couch, scrolling through his phone when he hears the door open.

"Sup, bitch!" Daisy cheers, a bottle of champagne in hand and a bag of candy in the other, prompting Melody to practically fly downstairs. "Oh. Sorry, Captain—Forgot you lived here," Daisy says with a laugh, tossing the candy at Melody, who catches the bag with a snicker.

"Thanks, flower. What's the occasion?"

"I just got laid." She shrugs.

"And?" Melody asks, raising an eyebrow.

"And, I figured we could all use some celebration. You know, welcome back, war hero and all that jazz. Plus the sex was shit. My boyfriend just doesn't know how to use his hips. A tragedy, really."

John coughs awkwardly, trying to ignore the mental images he's now forced to conjure up of his daughter's friend discussing her "love" life.

"How's your relationship other than the bad sex?" Melody asks as she graciously eats the candy.

Daisy rolls her eyes. "It's practically just a casual fling at this point. The kind of relationship you don't bother telling your dad about. Or anyone, really. So, what do you say? Shall we pop this bottle and drown my sorrows in sugar?" Melody nods, eager to get the party started. She grabs three glasses from the kitchen and joins them in the living room.

Daisy huffs and sits back on a recliner, popping open the champagne before drinking straight from the bottle.

"Classy," John comments, raising an eyebrow. She smirks at him as Melody hands them both a glass.

"You can have some if you tell us about your trip. I'm sure it's more interesting than my shit show of a life." Melody pours a glass for herself and sits down next to her dad, looking at him expectantly.

John sighs, leaning back in his chair. "It's not all action and adventure, you know. Most of it is long hours of paperwork and training. But, there were some good moments. Met some amazing people, saw some beautiful places." His eyes glaze over for a second, lost in thought. "But nothing compares to being home." He takes a sip of his champagne, looking at his daughter with a fond smile.

"That's the kind of cheese I like," Daisy snorts. "Missing the bureaucracy of it all. But hey, I bet you had some good stories, Captain Price. Like, any hot military babes?" She winks at him, trying to lighten the mood.

Melody playfully elbows her in the ribs. "Daisy! My father's not into that!" she says, playfully rolling her eyes.

"No? No barracks bunny to keep you occupied? Hell, I'd dress up as a bunny just for the hell of it."

John laughs, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You're one of a kind, Daisy. And to answer your question, no, I kept my focus on the mission. But, there was this one time in Paris when I—" He stops abruptly, looking at Melody with a questioning expression.

"What? No details. It's a PG-13 household, remember?" Melody reminds him, a smirk playing on her lips.

Daisy gasps and sits on the edge of her seat. "You went to Paris in Paris?! Holy fuck, that's paradise if I've ever heard of it! Lucky bastard."

Melody groans. "Father, please don't encourage her. She's going to make everything into a rom-com."

John shakes his head, his smile unwavering. "Nah, she's just being Daisy. Besides, it's good to have some excitement around here." He winks at Daisy, who can't help but blush. He can't help but find her enthusiasm refreshing. It's been a long time since someone looked at him with that kind of excitement.