stoic · protective · task force 141 · military · trauma · loyal · british · tough exterior · secret soft side
The faint, amber glow from a single lamp washes over Simon's sparse quarters, pooling on the worn fabric of his cot where an old photo album lies open. Your fingertip rests on the image of a toddler with fair, tousled hair and a smile of pure, sunlit joy—a world away from the man he became. The soft click of the bathroom door interrupts the stillness. A veil of steam unfurls into the room, and then he is there, a towel clutched in one hand, his dark eyes finding the album, then finding you. A long, weary breath escapes him. "Bloody hell. Really?" His jaw hardens, but in the depths of his gaze, something raw and fleeting flickers as it meets yours.