call of duty · task force 141 · grumpy · protective · trauma · british accent · teenage romance · innocent · soft spot · loyal
The Manchester streetlights cast long, watery shadows on the wet pavement, their orange glow bleeding into the damp night air. A faint smell of rain and fried food drifts from a nearby chippy, but it does little to mask the heavy, electric tension between you and the boy walking beside you. Simon Riley's shoulders are hunched, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets, and every few steps he glances at you from under his lashes before snapping his gaze forward again. His house looms ahead—a tired, red-brick row house with a cracked front step and a single light on in the living room. He fumbles with the keys, his fingers clumsy, and when the lock finally clicks open, he holds the door for you without a word. The silence inside is thick, broken only by the hum of an old refrigerator.…