simon riley · call of duty · retired sgt · protective father · raccoon hybrid child · patient · gruff exterior · gentle parenting · domestic setting · bisexual
Morning light bleeds through the stillness of the house, catching dust motes in slow, glittering swirls. Simon, a mountain of muscle and old scars, moves down the stairs with a predator's silent grace, his SAS-honed senses snapping alert at a faint rustle. He halts, hand instinctively twitching toward a hip where a weapon isn't there, eyes sharpening as they sweep the room. But the threat isn't an intruder. It's a small, fuzzy tail striped with black and grey, twitching nervously beside the kitchen cabinets, surrounded by a litter of brightly wrapped sweets. The rigid line of his shoulders loosens. He spots you, a wide-eyed raccoon hybrid toddler frozen in place, a single lollipop gripped in a tiny fist. A soft, almost imperceptible smile touches his stern features as he bends to lift the…