Chapter Text
There is a silence in Price’s office as he looks out the window. He's taking a break from the mind-numbing stacks of paperwork he should have submitted ages ago and giving his eyes something nicer to look at.
He can see Ezra standing with Soap and Gaz, and he can imagine how the blond is probably just nattering away like usual with his mouth running a thousand miles an hour. A smile tugs at his lips as he watches the blond toss his head back in a loud laugh, Soap grinning eagerly at the other's reaction and Price watches the Scot's mouth move again. A chuckle leaves him as it seems to set Ezra off more, the blond bending at the waist and Price can practically hear the wheeze laugh that probably comes out of him. He's managed to get a few of his own laughs from the man and it warms his heart every time. The blond had called his laugh ugly when they’d heard it for the first time, Ezra unable to help his reaction to one of Simon's awful jokes and before Price could refute the statement, Soap had spoken up telling him that no laugh could be ugly if it meant he was happy.
Price can't help but think about when Ezra had first joined them. He'd been sent to the 141 more as a babysitting duty than anything, Top Brass still not quite trusting him to anyone else. He’d arrived, defected from some PMC they’d crossed paths with before, offering information in exchange for protection and work. He’d freely offered his job description of espionage and black widow kills, so Brass had placed him with them knowing whatever pretty words he might have, Price and his men wouldn't be swayed. Or they at least knew how to deal with any talk that may come their way. He remembered meeting the blond for the first time. Looking pristine and perfect, like he'd practically stepped right off a photoshoot with a pretty, confident smile to match and all Price could remember was looking at him and seeing straight past it all like cracks in a mirror. There was a difference between actual confidence and wearing it like it was armour, and the blond looked like he was ready for World War 3.
Ezra joining them had proved difficult. It wasn't that the blond wasn't good at his job; he was a good operative and followed orders well. He got along with the others swimmingly, or enough so that they didn't hate him but despite it all, he never seemed to really open up.
Price liked to think of himself as an observant man. He'd managed to get Simon to open up and work with others (he wasn't going to mention the soft looks and hushed words shared between him and Soap, that was none of his business) so he felt like he could do a good job at getting behind all that armour that the blond had constructed around himself. Yet every time he thought he was getting there, the blond evaded him like a butterfly dancing in the wind. Here, but not really. He chatted with Gaz, laughed at all of Soap's jokes and had even managed a few small conversations with Simon but… It all seemed manufactured. Like the blond was simply playing a part.
Price didn't want him to just play a part, he wanted him to feel like he belonged with them. Sure, Ezra joining had started off as baby-sitting duty, to evaluate if he was a threat and where exactly his skills lay but it had been long enough to tell he wasn't going to pull anything. He'd briefed all the others, and they were well aware they were to report anything potentially shady the blond might be doing, but he simply… Hadn't. It seemed like he really was here to stay if the 141 would let him.
The first time Ezra had opened up to any of them was when they'd all been on mission, months after he’d come to join them. It had been an absolutely dogshit mission. Gale force winds and pouring rain the whole fucking time and thus, ex-fil was delayed since Niko was struggling to get out to them. So they'd all sat and waited in silence in the freezing rain like a bunch of miserable soggy cats.
That was until Soap had opened his mouth asking them all what the worst mission they'd ever been on was. Price and Ghost had simply kept quiet, Soap and Gaz immediately falling into reminiscing on a mission they'd done together that Price also remembered being an absolute nightmare before Soap turned his attention to Ezra.
“What about you, duck? You've had to have seen some horrid shit.”
They’d started calling him duck a few weeks in. They’d been purposefully loose with his freedom so he had opportunities to sneak away and do something shady, needing to make time for him to do anything that might put them in danger but instead, he’d stuck close to any nearby member of the 141 and followed them around like a little duck. Price thought it smart. Keeping close to the people he knew would most likely keep him safe. It hadn’t been a secret where the blond had joined them from but his actual role had been kept fairly hush and there’d already been a few snide remarks and comments as it was from other recruits. With Ezra sticking close, there’d been no opportunity for things to get physical though. Any comments, Ezra had let them roll right off. Like water off a duck’s back.
Price’s attention is brought back when he sees the blond move, shifting where he sits and pursing his lips in thought before he eventually speaks “Probably my first mission? That was awful. I was 16 and they had me sleep with some like, 60-year-old man. It was so gross.”
Price falters as the words sink in. He knew Ezra's previous job role, of course, but he hadn’t realised he’d started at 16 years old. Doing what was essentially sex work? From the looks of the other’s faces, they felt similarly.
Gaz spoke up first, trying to keep the concern off his face. “Hang on, they made you sleep with a 60-year-old man? At 16? Was that the first time you…?”
The blond shrugs a shoulder casually like they were simply discussing the news, strands of wet hair sticking to his face where they've come loose from his ponytail “Yeah it was. I mean, that's what my job was, they kinda told me that from day one. Sleep with people- Did they not brief you?”
His eyes flick to Price with a look of uncertainty, as if he's wondering if he's just cocked everything up with the boys.
Price nods, wanting to soothe the anxiety he can see on his operative's face “They told me a bit about what you did but I figured you'd tell us yourself when you were ready.”
Ezra's mouth opens into a little ‘o’ of surprise before he speaks “Wellll… That's what I did. Sleep with people and stuff. Kill them afterwards, sometimes, it depended on who the target was.”
Kyle nods but there’s a frown on his face ”Yeah, but at 16? Your first time was with some old bloke? You didn’t think that was… A bit weird?”
“Well yeah, I did think it was weird but, like I said, I kinda knew my first time wasn’t going to be normal. It was just… How things were for me. I was brought up to expect it?”
Soap frowns too, he and Gaz exchanging quick looks over the top of Ezra’s head when he ducks his head to wipe the rain and hair out of his eyes before Soap changes the subject so they don’t end up prying further than Ezra’s comfortable with “You must’ve met some interesting people then? Doing all that?”
“Yeah, there’s been some interesting ones. Some that were nice to me, some not so much. I mean, it’s just like meeting anyone new, you know? Same sort of principles except you have to fuck them and maybe kill them. Same with the sex, it’s like, whatever, I could take it or leave it honestly.”
Soap chuckles, shaking his head “Selfish lovers then? I dinnae think sex is supposed to be like that.”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t believe. Trust me. I mean, I’ve had a few good times but y’know, few and far between.”
There's no more time for questions as Price's radio crackles to life with Niko's voice and they're on the move again.
He doesn't get to talk to Ezra until they're back on base and it's 1am. Price is doing paperwork and he finally gets up to go get more coffee from the rec room, pausing briefly when he hears the movement. He rounds the doorway, smiling slightly when he spots the shorter man. He's standing at the countertop with his back to Price and with a pink blanket wrapped around his shoulders and he looks like he's making hot chocolate. He hasn't noticed Price yet so he speaks up, trying to keep his voice gentle so he doesn't scare the blond “Couldn't sleep?”
The blond startles anyway, turning quickly with a soft gasp and a hand to his chest in shock “Oh my god- You scared the crap out of me!” He laughs before shaking his head and turning back to the countertop, “I'm making hot chocolate, do you want one?”
Price mulls over the decision before nodding and stepping closer to watch the blond work “Is that your fancy stuff you won't let John touch?”
“Mmhm, you know it. We'll keep it a secret between us, hm?” Ezra turns his head to wink at Price playfully with a smile and Price decides he likes the blond smiling at him like that.
It doesn't take long for the blond to turn to him again, offering him a steaming mug with a cute, earnest little smile on his face, and Price takes it gratefully. He nods his head at the nearby sofa, leading the way over before he sits down with a low grunt and Ezra sits down next to him. Price watches him pull his legs up onto the sofa and tuck them under himself, looking very much like a happy little cat. The blond blows lightly on his mug to cool down the liquid before taking a sip, wiggling excitedly to himself which makes Price chuckle and lift his own mug to take a sip.
He hums in delight as he relishes in the rich taste of chocolate on his tongue “Mm, this is good. I can see why you don't let John touch.”
The blond nods happily “Mhm, a little something I brought before I came here. I thought it might be a nice comfort thing to keep. That or whoever took it searching my things might at least enjoy it.”
“True, but I'm glad you've been able to keep it. I don't drink a lot of hot chocolate but this… This is nice.”
Ezra nods, snuggling into the blanket wrapped around his shoulders “Mhm, right? It's super duper nice, the perfect thing for 1AM cosiness. Now we just need some trashy TV and we'd be set.”
A soft laugh leaves Price, an amused smile on his face “Trashy TV and hot chocolate?” He knows what kind of TV Ezra means. Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised that the blond was into that sort of television. It wasn't Price's cup of tea but it wasn't like he was judging exactly.
“Oh, you haven't lived until you’ve been bundled up in warm blankets, with a yummy hot chocolate, and watching two white women you’ve never even met beat on each other ‘cause they booked the same venue for their snotty kids’ birthday party. It’s the best, trust me.”
Price gives him an amused look before he spoke “I'll have to take your word on that one, I think your American shows are a bit different to the ones over here.”
Ezra laughs before he speaks, giving Price a look “Oh please. I’ve seen Towie, you guys aren’t any better than us, I know what happens here!”
Price raises an eyebrow with an amused smile on his face as he lightly shakes his head “What the fuck is Towie, duck?”
“Oh my god, you're terrible, the next thing we do, I'm showing you Towie. You don't even know your own culture, John Price.”
A soft scoff leaves him and he takes a sip of hot chocolate before he speaks “Can't be culture if I’ve never heard of it. I’ve heard of Corrie and Eastenders, those, I’d give you as an argument for culture. Even if they’re absolute shite.”
“I have no idea what an Eastenders or Corrie is, but sure?”
Price chuckles before he offers a little smile “It’s trashy TV.” He let out a little amused sigh, shaking his head and then taking a sip of his hot chocolate “Nevermind- Tell me more about your terrible shows.”
The blond gasps in delight, shifting to straighten up where he sits as he gets ready to tell Price all the gossip in between sips of hot chocolate.
They chat for a while about all sorts of topics until it inevitably goes back to work. He wants to know more about Ezra’s past. What exactly they’re dealing with and whether it’s something that might come back and bite Price in the ass.
Surprisingly, Ezra is open with him. He was expecting tall tales or the pretty lies Ez gives them when he's not feeling comfortable enough to bear his soul to them. He tells Price about the things he's done and the people he's hurt. Price has hurt his fair share of people too so he can't judge in any way. The blond talks about his past, and how he had gotten picked up by his organisation as a 10 year old run-away from the US foster system with the promises of family and care if he did exactly what they wanted and so he had.
It hurts Price's heart in a way. They’d taken an innocent child who'd just wanted a family and turned him into a killer. At least he and the boys had the choice to join the army. Poor Ezra hadn't stood a chance. He shakes his head and can only manage to apologise for the things that have happened to the other.
A sharp burst of anger fills him when Ezra simply waves it off with an ‘Oh it's nothing' and sips his hot chocolate. He's not angry at Ezra, but more at the fact that this is the reality for the blond and it's normal when it shouldn't be. It shouldn't have happened in the first place.
“No, it's not nothing, Ezra. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. You were a child. You should have had a safe place to live and grow up, not feel like you needed to run away. And they shouldn’t have pushed that sort of path onto you. I’m not shaming you for the things you’ve done to survive but sex work at 16 is not something that should have been on the table."
The blond shrugs a shoulder “I mean, yeaahh, but it's not we can do anything about it now. Besides, I might never have met you guys. I'd say that's a pretty positive outcome, right? Who knows where we might be if I hadn’t run away.” His voice is gentle, soothing like he’s trying to put a balm over the heat of Price’s anger and despite his efforts, he finds himself falling into it.
A soft chuckle leaves him softly, Price shaking his head gently as he lets it go (for now at least) “Alright, if you say so.” They fall into a comfortable silence, quickly finishing up their hot chocolates before Ezra eventually speaks up “Sooo, tell me what were the others like when you first met them? Were they as fun to meet as I was?”
Another chuckle leaves Price and he starts to tell the blond about each of the other members of the 141, fond memories coming to the forefront of his mind and Ezra listens in rapt attention.
It's just gone 3:30am when they decide to call it a night, the notions of refilling their mugs long forgotten with how they’ve been lost in conversation. They only stop when Ezra pauses mid-sentence to yawn widely, blinking back sleepy tears when he finishes before he wipes them away with the back of his sleeve. Price gets up to wash their mugs, Ezra following behind him to lean against the counter to continue chattering away.
Once Price has put the mugs away, he leads the way out of the rec room and into the corridor, the blond following absentmindedly and Price stops to nod his head down the corridor “Right, off to bed with you. You’ve got training with Gaz in the morning, I’m pretty sure.”
A soft groan leaves the blond as readjusts the blankets around his shoulders, shivering in the chilly corridor “Ugh, don’t remind me. He always promises to be nice but then he throws me across the mats, how is that fair?”
“He’s just trying to make sure you’re practised, duck. We all know you’re a good fighter but you need more practise.”
That earns him a childish pout, the blond huffing gently “I am practised! Not my fault you’re all big lumbering men who are difficult to fight.”
Price nods, trying to hold back the smile “Mmh, well this big lumbering man is telling you to go to bed. Now off with you.”
Ezra gives him an exaggerated pout before he laughs and winks at him, beginning to walk down the corridor before he looks over his shoulder “Make sure you dream of me, Captain!” He gives Price an air kiss before he disappears around the turn and all Price can do is just shake his head fondly and head to his own room.
It doesn’t take him long to settle in for bed, Price looking up at the ceiling in the dark as he tries to drift off. Pretty blond smiles and the taste of rich chocolate on his tongue as his last thoughts as sleep overtakes him.
From that night, hot chocolate and intimate long chats into the night become a charming little ritual between the two of them on the nights that thoughts and memories are simply too much to bear alone. On occasion, they are joined when someone else can’t sleep. A restless night or after a mission that was just too close for comfort. Price likes it when the lads join but he has to admit that he likes it the best when it’s just the two of them.