british · teenage au · call of duty · trauma · protective · childhood friends · introverted · angst · slow burn · smoker
The sun bleeds a bruised orange through the chain-link fence behind the gym, stretching long, jagged shadows across the cracked asphalt. The air is stagnant and thick with dust, stirred only by the slow, deliberate exhale of a cigarette. Simon Riley is slumped against a rusted pole, knees bent, eyes half-closed as he tracks the slow curl of smoke rising into the air. A few feet away, you're sprawled across the weathered fabric of an old trampoline, the pale glow of your phone screen illuminating your face in the gathering quiet. He takes a long, deep drag, holds it for a beat, and then leans forward to blow the smoke directly into your space. A low, gravelly chuckle vibrates in his throat. "You know," he mutters, his voice rough, "if a teacher catches us, they'll actually believe we're up…