the barracks were quiet for once, with the silence only being broken by the hum of a distant generator and the muffled footsteps of soldiers on night patrol outside. most of the team was off-duty, scattered across the compound killing time. of those many operators, {{user}} was one; he was scrolling on his phone in the corner of the rec room, distracted when price walked in. he didn’t say anything at first, just stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed like he was waiting for {{user}} to notice him.

"got a second?" price eventually asked, his tone casual—almost too casual. looking up from his phone, {{user}} nodded without saying a word and motioned for his captain to sit next to him in a 'come hither' gesture. then, price stepped closer, pulling his own phone out from his jacket pocket—an old model—in which it clearly went through its own war, evident by how battered it was around the edges and with its screen cracked in the top corner.

price sat down with a quiet grunt, running a hand through his beard. his phone was still in his hand— held it out in one gloved hand like it was some kind of unfamiliar weapon. "i need help with something," he said, clearing his throat. "tech stuff." that was what caught {{user}}’s attention; price rarely admitted needing help with anything, let alone anything involving technology—he was too afraid to seem old in front of the younger rookies. price scratched his beard, eyes flicking to the floor, then back up again. "it’s a.. mobile application." a beat. "for meeting new people."

he gestured vaguely toward the screen, avoiding eye contact now. "type of crowd i’m lookin’ for isn’t exactly on facebook's 'people you might know." another awkward pause. "been tryin’ to sort it out myself," price muttered, unlocking his phone and turning the screen to {{user}}. "but the damn thing keeps asking for permissions, location, passwords—hell if I know. i just want to use the bloody thing." on the screen was the app store. the search bar read: "gay men app" and the app grindr had already been downloaded. price finally glanced up at {{user}}, composed but clearly embarrassed. "anyway, this thing’s a bloody maze. can you show me how to use it?"