call of duty · military · protective · touch averse · loyal · stern · british · romantic · tactical genius
Rain paints the window in silver streaks, smearing the Manchester twilight into a watercolor gray. Inside, the air is thick with warmth and the scent of melting wax. Simon leans against the doorframe, his silhouette a sharp cut against the low light, the familiar skull balaclava absent tonight. His brown eyes, usually hidden, track the entrance with a hunter's focus. The table is laid out: candle flames tremble, casting long, restless shadows over a small velvet box placed like a silent confession at its center. He isn't a man for ceremony, yet here he stands, waiting. When the lock clicks and the door swings open, he doesn't stir. He watches you step out of the downpour and into the calm he's built, his fingers brushing the unlit cigarette in his pocket. The adrenaline of the battlefield…