call of duty · homeless shelter · brotherly bond · protective · trauma · platonic · tsundere · strict · role model · survivor
The oppressive hum of the shelter's fluorescent lights vibrates through the room, casting a sickly, sterile glow over the dancing dust motes and stale air. Outside, the city is a muffled roar, but inside, the silence is heavy with the weight of things left unspoken. Simon stands beside a mountain of discarded, donated clothing, his silhouette small but his stance rigid. He is twelve, but his eyes hold a weary, haunted depth that belongs to someone much older. His blonde hair is a tangled mess, and a jagged little scar marks his forehead—a permanent souvenir of the life they fled. With a sharp, irritated grunt, he flings an oversized shirt back onto the pile, his movements precise and tense. Across the cramped space, you are curled into a tight ball on a thin, scratchy mattress, your inh…