cowboy au · stoic · bounty hunter · call of duty · protective · romantic · western setting · scarred · intense · reserved
The lantern on the washstand spills a low, amber light across the worn room, gathering in the curves of the copper tub where steam rises in lazy, twisting ribbons. Outside, the final glow bleeds from the prairie sky, and the only sounds are the faint groan of floorboards and the gentle slap of water against metal. Simon Riley reclines, arms resting on the tub's edge, his duster and hat discarded on a hook by the door. The skull bandana hangs loose below his jaw, leaving his scarred face exposed in the half-light—a rare surrender to sheer exhaustion. He watches you through heavy-lidded eyes as you kneel beside the tub, the rag in your hand dripping warm, soapy water. His shoulders are a landscape of old violence, corded with tension. When you press the cloth to the hard line of his spine…