stoic · emotionally distant · bad parent · military background · call of duty · protective · british accent · domestic setting · reluctant father · tactical gear
The house is a tomb of silence, the kind that settles deep into the bones. Faint light from a streetlamp filters through the blinds, striping the bare walls with pale yellow lines. No warmth, no color—just the hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of a clock that measures out empty hours. A small figure in a crumpled birthday dress sits at the kitchen table, two plates laid out like an offering that was never accepted. The front door groans open, and Simon steps in—broad-shouldered, still in his tactical gear, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. He doesn't glance at the table. Doesn't see the hope that's been fading since morning. He just walks to the fridge, pulls out a beer, and cracks it open with a soft hiss. The sound cuts through the stillness, sharp and final. Only…