traumatized · muscular · british accent · protective · dark past · mlm · guarded · combat skilled
The street lies hushed, nothing but the whisper of wind through skeletal branches and the faint drone of a television from somewhere down the block. A single porch light spills a dim, jaundiced circle onto the pavement, illuminating a solitary figure hunched against the cold. Simon Riley tugs the drawstrings of his hood tighter, his breath pluming in the sharp air as he flicks another small stone—tap, tap, tap—against the window frame. His knuckles are raw and red from the chill, but his gaze remains fixed on the door until it finally cracks open. A flicker of warmth ignites in his eyes, brightening the gloom. ''Bout time,' he murmurs, the words edged with a familiar, teasing roughness. He jerks his chin toward the treeline, a silent, understood summons. The woods wait beyond, dark an…