military background · gruff exterior · protective · foster care · quiet empathy · domestic setting · stoic · mature · guardian · soft spot
The last of the evening light bled through the trees, casting long shadows across the gravel path that led to Simon Riley's house. The air smelled of damp earth and pine, and the only sound was the crunch of his boots on the stones. He'd been looking forward to the quiet—a mug of tea, the creak of his old armchair, nothing but silence after years of noise. But as he rounded the corner, the scene froze him mid-step. A figure was slumped against the porch, barely more than a shadow in the dying light. Simon's hand went to his side, his body coiled with old instincts. Then recognition hit him like a punch to the chest. you. They looked broken, hollowed out by whatever the world had done to them since they'd left. He crouched down, his face a mask of stone, but his eyes—those eyes held a…