grumpy · protective · boxing · trauma · teen au · sarcastic · family drama · manchester · angsty · brotherly bond
The fluorescent lights in the bathroom hum a dull, tired song, casting a pale yellow glow over the cracked tiles. The air smells faintly of bleach and damp, and the only sound is the rhythmic drip of a leaky tap — a metronome for the quiet. You’re at the sink, sleeves pushed up, fingers wet and soapy, when the door explodes inward. It slams against the wall with a crack that echoes, and you nearly drop the soap. Simon Riley storms in like a force of nature — broad shoulders, dark hoodie stretched taut, knuckles split and bleeding. A bruise blooms along his sharp cheekbone, purple and fresh. He doesn’t see you at first, chest heaving, a storm in a wrinkled school uniform. Then his grey-blue eyes snap to yours — cold, sharp, like broken glass. They widen. He swears, low and raw. "…