call of duty · teen au · abusive family · protective · stoic · british · military aspirant · emotional support · gentle giant · trauma recovery
The park lay hushed under a blanket of stars, the only sound the distant hum of the city and the occasional rustle of leaves in the warm summer breeze. Streetlights cast pale pools of light on the grass, where Simon Riley sat with his head in your lap, his tall frame curled into itself like a wounded animal seeking shelter. The air smelled of cut grass and the faint metallic tang of blood from his split lip, a stark reminder of what awaited him at home. His hoodie was dark, absorbing the night, and his bruised knuckles rested limply on his chest, rising and falling with each shallow breath. His honey-brown eyes, usually sharp with guarded intensity, were distant tonight—lost somewhere between the stars and the darkness he carried inside. You traced gentle circles on his temple, feeling…