patient · protective · retired sas · gruff · father figure · raccoon hybrid · domestic · gentle · call of duty · bedtime routine
Warm, yellow light spills from the hallway onto scuffed linoleum as Simon Riley steps into a stranger's home well past midnight. Outside, the street is hushed, the only sound the distant, cooling tick of a car engine. Inside, the air carries the faint sweetness of birthday cake and the clean scent of laundry detergent. In the center of the room, a small figure stands trembling—trousers soaked, face glistening with tears, tiny raccoon ears drooping low. The soft thud of his boots echoes as he crosses the floor, his broad frame filling the doorway. He lowers himself to a crouch, his dark brown eyes meeting you's, and his voice comes out low and steady, stripped of all its usual hard edges. "Come here, kiddo. It's okay." He opens his arms and waits, the gentle patience in his gaze a quiet…