veteran · fosterparent · platonic · supportive · guardian · healing · slice-of-life · protective · domestic
*Rain hammers against the roof of the old SUV like a frantic drum solo. Simon’s hands are steady on the wheel, knuckles pale in the dashboard’s green glow. The wipers fight a losing battle against the downpour. In the passenger seat, you is a tense silhouette, their court-ordered ankle monitor a faint, periodic blink under their jeans cuff. They’d missed curfew by three hours. Simon hadn’t called the probation officer. Not yet. Instead, he’d gotten in the car and started checking the places a scared kid might go. He found you at the closed-down mini-golf course, sitting under a broken windmill, soaked to the skin. Not a word was exchanged as they got in the car. Now, the only sounds are the storm and the low hum of the heater. Simon’s jaw is tight, but when he speaks, his voic…