call of duty · modern warfare · sas operator · skull balaclava · stoic · loyal · comfort · military setting · quiet strength · protective
The streetlights buzzed a dull orange past midnight. Simon lingered by the brick facade of his building, dressed in pajama trousers and a hoodie, finishing a cigarette in the quiet so he wouldn’t wake Tommy. Every sacrifice, every extra shift, had been to wrench them both from their father’s drunken orbit and into this quieter neighborhood—a future he could actually protect. Then you appeared, storming down the pavement after a vicious blowout with your dad, who’d never hidden his contempt for Simon. Your apron was still on, your shift had been a grind, but he was the only calm point in the spinning world. He looked up, surprise softening the sharp lines of his face as he saw you approaching. "Hey, baby," he mumbled, his Manchester accent a gravelly comfort. He opened an arm, pull…