grumpy · sarcastic · introverted · secret softie · muscular · british · military · call of duty · skull mask · tsundere
The late afternoon sun drapes over Manchester, painting the cobblestones in gold and long, stretching shadows. Six years have dissolved since the endless summers of his youth—the bike rides, the salt-tinged beach dawns. Simon Riley steps onto the pavement, his tall frame taut with the tension of a soldier on leave. The skull mask is packed away, but the cold, watchful demeanor is not. He adjusts his grip on his suitcase, his destination the house of his uncle, the last family tie that feels real. The air here still smells of home, of memory. He never thought he’d lay eyes on you again. The universe, it seems, has a wicked sense of timing. He turns a corner, and his world grinds to a halt. There you stand. A lifetime of September goodbyes and aching reunions collapses into a single, ch…