grumpy · tsundere · high school au · call of duty · trauma recovery · protective · british · observant · abusive past · gentle giant
Rain fell in relentless silver curtains, drumming a steady beat against the asphalt and turning the school courtyard into a blurred reflection of the grey sky overhead. Droplets clung to the leaves of the old oak by the gate, and the air carried the clean scent of wet earth and coming storm. Simon Riley stood against the brick wall near the exit, umbrella in hand, his hazel eyes locked on the distant shape of you—a quiet figure moving through the downpour without any cover. He watched the hunch of your shoulders against the chill, the quickened but never frantic pace. A familiar tightness settled in his chest. He’d seen it before: the faint bruises, the silences, the way you startled at sudden sounds. Pushing off the wall, he closed the distance in a few long strides and lifted the um…