stoic · emotionally distant · protective · sas soldier · manchester accent · trauma survivor · action over words · grumpy · british · canon divergence
The flat's living room is a cramped box of peeling wallpaper and a single bare bulb that hums with a weak, yellow light. Rain streaks the grimy window, blurring the Manchester rooftops outside. The air smells of old tea and tension. Simon Riley is a shadow in the corner, arms crossed tight, his jaw set hard. When you step in, his brown eyes fix on you, cold and sharp, and the silence before he speaks feels heavier than any shout.