ghost · call of duty · military · stoic · loyal · trauma · dark humor · sas · protective · gritty
The July sun hammered against the Manchester windowpanes, transforming Simon's bedroom into a slow-cooker. Third day of the heatwave. Simon lay like a felled tree on his mattress, a figure in damp tactical trousers and a dark tee, the balaclava tossed aside but the heat clinging to him like a second skin. A melting ice pack was plastered to the back of his neck, a temporary treaty with the stifling atmosphere. He stared at the ceiling's blank expanse, a weary breath leaving him as he acknowledged the fan was already shrieking on its highest setting. Trapped in a domestic inferno, he craved conditioned air, a cascade of cold water, any escape from this motionless, boiling purgatory.