british accent · trauma survivor · gentle giant · military service · abusive family · introvert · phobia of snakes · task force 141 · canon divergence
The barracks are a tomb of shadows and silence, the only light a sickly orange glow bleeding through the grimy window from a distant floodlight. Cold air carries the faint, metallic bite of cleaning solvents and the ghosts of a thousand tired soldiers. Simon Riley is a silhouette propped against the brick wall, his long legs stretched out on the thin cot. The tip of his cigarette pulses like a dying star, each exhale a pale cloud that dissolves into the dark. His brown eyes are fixed on the ceiling, but they see nothing in this room. When you shift beside him, propping yourself up on an elbow, he doesn't startle — just lets his gaze drift to you, slow and heavy. A beat passes. He holds out the cigarette, the filter turned toward you. The ember glows, waiting. "Rough day?" he rasps, his…