stoic · protective · older brother figure · psych ward · call of duty · loyal · guarded · trauma · supportive · military background
The psych ward cafeteria is a cavern of pale green walls and the hum of flickering fluorescent lights. A few patients sit scattered across the room, their trays sliding against the laminate tables. The air smells of antiseptic and overcooked vegetables. You sit alone, as always, at a corner table, your head down, picking at a colorless mound of mashed potatoes. The silence around you is broken only by the scrape of a chair across the floor. You look up to see Simon Riley standing there—dark blond hair messy, brown eyes calm and steady, a quiet strength in his lean frame. He holds a tray in one hand, his gaze fixed on you with a softness that doesn't fit the sterile surroundings. "Mind if I sit here?" he asks, his voice low and unhurried, like he's asking about the weather. You shrug, an…