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

26) The Pain Of Letting Go

[Song 🎵: The View Between Villages (Extended) - Noah Kahan]

Your eyes were trying to focus on a sentence, but you'd already read it three times. The bickering in the background was starting to permeate through your senses a bit too much. You felt the irritation rising as you restarted the file again, for the fourth time. Shaking your head a little, ignoring that nagging feeling that you'd read this before.

"Por favor, I asked you a million times Yúzé, do you even listen??", you heard Witch say from the opposite side of the drop ship. Raising her voice a little as the Spanish accent only got heavier, the angrier she got.

Lowering the old mission report below your eye level, you looked ahead with an unimpressed stare. The dark haired fury was trying her best to get some kind of reaction out of your stonecold barbarian, talking wildly with her hands, but Ghoul was just acting like he couldn't hear her. With his legs stretched out into the walkway, he looked rather unbothered. She'd been on his arse the entire day and he, as usual, was trying to wind her up. These two couldn't get through one day without annoying one another. Though their conversation seemed familiar. Like you'd heard it before.

Then again, they bicker so much, what new shit do they have to say at this point?

You heard a quiet mutter from Ghoul, as you caught the end of it. The Chinese words sounding unfiltered and rather foul, making you snort as Witch aimed her stare at you. Her dark eyes piercing yours as she waited.

"Sergeant? Translate it, I wanna know what this capullo has to say", she said, her eyes glancing between the both of you. A scoff falling from Ghoul as he angled his head at her, a sarcastic smile accompanying dark brown glittering eyes.

"I'm not your translator, but I'm pretty sure it was a heart-felt confession. Now if you guys could shut the fuck up for one second then I can actually read this?", you said as you leaned your elbows forward on your knees, shaking the clipboard a bit irritatedly at them. "Owen, please get them ready to jump, we're almost on site."

You heard your second in command get up from your left as Demon stood up, his large burly frame loosening as he rolled his shoulders. Narrowing your eyes, you waited for something.

If he claps his hands together-

As soon as you thought it, you heard it. The familiar clap of Demon's hands echoing loudly. The same old habit he had when getting down to business.

I know them too well, that's why this feels so similar..

"Let's go lovebirds, you heard 'er. Arses up. You can get a room later", you heard his heavy, Irish voice say as he rumbled a hearty laugh. He was always so ready and happy to go, but you didn't mind. He was a good, dependable counterweight to your cynical and sarcastic leadership.

Keeping your eyes on the last part of the mission report, you slapped your hand on the knee to your right. "You too, Grim. I know you hate jumping but there's no easy way in. It's still an active warzone despite the safer landing area we're heading to."

You looked up as you met your field medics unsure gaze, the deep russet eyes under the black bangs looking shifty but trying to play it off.

This time you felt it clearly.

The deja vu.

All good, gotta get used to it someday-

"All good, gotta get used to it someday", you heard him say as it resounded identically in your head, perfectly in sync. Your eyes blinking for a second as you processed, your mouth talking as if on autopilot.

"Sorry mate, but hey one step closer to me paying for those drinks I promised", you said with a reassuring smile, one that felt unlike your own. Your body keeping you hostage.