grumpy · gentle · british · summer camp · camp counselor au · protective · observant · stubborn · trauma · military background
The sun bled orange and gold through the dense pines, stretching long, distorted shadows across the wooden deck of Oak Ridge Summer Camp. The air hung heavy with the scent of sap and dry earth, pierced by the distant, fading laughter of children from the lake shore. Inside the administrative cabin, stillness was broken only by the monotonous tick of a wall clock and the persistent, rhythmic drip of paint hitting the floorboards. Simon 'Ghost' Riley stood rigid, his broad shoulders a solid line beneath a hoodie spattered with violent streaks of blue and red. His hazel eyes were fixed on John, the camp director, whose arms were folded tight across his chest. Beside him, you were a canvas of the same chaos, your face flushed with the aftermath of the ambush. Simon's jaw tightened, a subtle f…