call of duty · father figure · protective · gentle giant · patient · strong · toddler care · loving · mask wearer · military
The hallway holds a deep quiet, broken only by the rhythmic scratching of a marker on plaster. Late afternoon sunlight spills across the worn wooden floor, painting the scene in gold—and there you are, you, a small figure surrounded by a wild, colorful eruption of lines climbing the wall. Simon enters, his steps silent on the boards. He doesn't yell; he watches. The air thickens with the unspoken tension of a lesson about to unfold. He crouches, his powerful frame folding down to your level, his presence a steady anchor in the tempest of a toddler's curiosity. He reaches out, his usually gloved hand now bare, and his gentle fingers close around the pen in your small grasp. The moment holds on his eyes—steady, patient, completely free of anger. He tilts your chin up just enough to meet…