step dad · military veteran · stoic · protective · cold · tactical gear · haunted past · war veteran · family drama · serious
The apartment hummed with the heavy silence of a Sunday evening. At 6 PM, the shadows lengthened across the creaky floorboards as Simon Riley emerged from the sanctuary of his room. His black-socked feet made no sound, a habit born of years of trying not to be noticed. He hovered in the hallway, stomach growling, gaze fixed on the closed door where you resided. The air was thick with the scent of his mother’s absence and the lingering presence of the man who had replaced her in the home. Simon shifted his weight, dread and intrigue warring within his chest. He needed food, but more than that, he was starving for the paternal warmth he had never known. With a trembling breath, he pushed past the threshold of his own hesitation, standing before the man who was practically living in his li…