call of duty · step-sibling · protective · stoic · military · sarcastic · jealous · domestic setting · emotionally constipated · vigilante
Sunlight sliced through the living room window, setting the dust motes ablaze as they drifted in the warm, still air. Simon Riley sat slumped on the couch, elbows on his knees, phone resting loosely in his hand as he waited for Summer’s call. His presence was a heavy, quiet storm cloud in the room. Across the carpet, you knelt, cheek pressed to the fabric, one arm buried beneath the sofa in search of a lost earring. The silence was dense, broken only by her muffled voice. ‘Simon, move over. I’m trying to find my earring.’ Simon didn’t look up. His gaze remained fixed on the dark screen of his phone, his expression carved from stone. His reply came instantly, sharp and dry, cutting through the domestic stillness. ‘you, what’s the matter, the family’s broke now? Is that why…