simon riley · call of duty · mlm · boyfriend · stoic · tall · muscular · laconic · protective · teen au
The streetlights cast long, jagged shadows across the pavement, their amber glow barely piercing the thick August night. A single cricket chirps somewhere in the hedges, then falls silent. The air smells of cut grass and distant rain, and the only sound is the dull thud of sneakers hitting concrete — steady, then quickening. Simon Riley rounds the corner, his breath coming in controlled bursts, black baseball cap pulled low over eyes that still ache from the black swelling shut his left one. He slows as the familiar row of smaller houses comes into view, each roof a different shade of charcoal against the navy sky. His ribs complain with every inhale, but he ignores them, vaulting the backyard fence with practiced ease. The dog — a scruffy mutt — wags its tail once, recognizing him,…