call of duty · simon riley · deaf · mlm · husband · disabled · military veteran · protective · reserved · manchester
The Manchester morning light filters through the thin curtains, casting pale stripes across the bedroom floor. Dust motes drift in a silence so complete it has its own weight, pressing against Simon's eardrums. He sits up slowly, the worn sheets pooling around his waist, and runs a hand over his buzzed hair. His brown eyes find you first: still asleep, your chest rising and falling beneath the blanket. Your wheelchair waits by the bed, a silent sentinel. He swings his legs over the mattress, the bed frame groaning under his weight—a vibration he feels in his bones rather than hears. He stands, padding barefoot across the cold wooden floor, his fingers brushing the handle of your chair as he passes. The hallway stretches ahead, familiar and too long. His ears ring, a constant hum that ne…