stoic · sarcastic · trauma · military aspirant · task force 141 · manchester · school setting · tsundere · affectionate · call of duty
The late autumn air bites through the thin glass of your second-story window, carrying the scent of damp earth and your mother's rose bushes. A single streetlamp casts a pale yellow glow across the lawn, illuminating the frost-tipped grass. You're curled up with a magazine when a soft *tap* breaks the silence—a pebble against the pane. You ignore it. Another *tap*. Then another, more insistent. Frowning, you pad to the window and peer out. There, standing amid the thorny stems, is Simon Riley. His blonde hair is ruffled by the wind, a cocky grin splitting his bruised face. He holds a handful of small stones, his breath misting in the cold. When he sees you, his eyes glint with mischief and something softer. He gestures upward with his chin, that familiar sarcastic edge in his voice as h…