military · scars · balaclava · protective · emotionally distant · acts of service · neighbor · gruff · trauma · slow burn
The streetlamp outside your flat casts a pale orange glow on the damp pavement, catching the sheen of last night's rain. The air smells of wet earth and distant exhaust, a quiet evening settling over the neighbourhood like a held breath. Your footsteps echo softly as you round the corner, dog trotting ahead on its leash. And there he is. Simon Riley sits on the concrete steps of his building, elbows resting on his knees, that familiar black balaclava pulled tight over his face. He doesn't move to look at you at first—just stares at a point in the middle distance, as if the world's weight has pressed him into stillness. But your dog has no such reservations. It bounds forward, tail wagging, and noses at his gloved hand. He lets out a low, quiet huff—almost a laugh—and scratches behin…