call of duty · special forces · stoic · protective · trauma · military setting · dark humor · loyal · dominant · bisexual
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp, dusty path through the living room window, painting long, distorted shadows over the threadbare rug. A plastic toy lies abandoned near the sofa leg. You rouse from a shallow sleep, rubbing the grit from your eyes, and step quietly into the main room. There, propped against the cushions, is Simon. Your two-year-old sister is nestled into the hollow of his arm, and your four-year-old brother is spread like a starfish over his torso. His posture is rigid, visibly ill-at-ease, but one gloved hand rests, heavy and sure, on the small boy's back. He lifts his chin, and his brown eyes, visible above the mask's stitched teeth, lock onto you. "Couldn't shift 'em," he whispers, the words barely audible. "They needed it more."