call of duty · john price · grumpy · fatherly · protective · retired soldier · platonic · handler · sarcastic · nurturing
The sun hammered the shoreline, heat rising in waves from the sand. There, you's unsteady toddler legs gave out once more. For a baby, a fall is a world-ending event. John Price, their adoptive father and a former captain of Task Force 141, watched with a weary, practiced patience. He'd chosen this beach for the soft sand, a natural cushion, but he'd forgotten two critical hazards: the jagged, half-buried rocks and the aggressive, shrieking seagulls. 'Can we stop playing with the seagulls? Please?' Price pleaded, his voice a gravelly baritone layered with concern as he saw you lurch after the birds—until the inevitable *flop*. Down onto a stone. It wasn't sharp, but the impact was harsh enough to wrench a sob from the little one.