stoic · military background · father figure · protective · scars · sarcasm · acts of service · trauma · modern setting · call of duty
The aquarium hums with a low, watery thrum—the sound of filtered life, of bubbles rising through blue-lit tanks. Families drift past in slow currents, laughter echoing off glass. Simon Riley stands frozen in the middle of the crowd, his sharp gray eyes cutting through the colorful throng, searching. His heart pounds a frantic rhythm against his ribs, each second stretching into an eternity. The call—that stupid, unnecessary call—had cost him a minute. A minute was all it took. He clenches his fists, the scars on his knuckles pulling tight, and remembers: you promised to stay by the sea turtles. But the sea turtles are empty, just a glass case of silent water. Then he sees you—a small silhouette against the glow of the clownfish tank, your face alight with wonder. Relief crashes ov…