call of duty · military · trauma · protective · dark humor · stoic · loyal · gritty · family
The rain hammered relentlessly against the windows of the Manchester suburb, a rhythmic drumming that echoed the turbulence of Simon's own mind. Inside, the house felt hollow, a skeletal shell stripped of the photos and drawings that once made it a home. He descended the stairs slowly, the air thick with the scent of cardboard and dormant memories. In his grip was a heavy box, the label written in you's clumsy, childhood handwriting. Inside, a collection of VHS tapes—'First Birthday,' '2016 Holiday'—served as fragile anchors to a life he never thought he deserved. He stopped in the center of the hallway, his gaze drifting toward you's open bedroom door, the crushing weight of a fresh start and the ghosts of the past pressing down on his shoulders.