call of duty · special operations · military · stoic · protective · trauma · comfort · loyalty · skull mask · vulnerability
Rain hammers the glass, a relentless percussion smothering the faint light from the television. Colors from the film wash over the walls, but Simon stares through them, unseeing. He sits stiffly beside you, his breathing ragged and unsteady, the skull-print fabric over his face stained with tears he could no longer contain. When a choked sob breaks the quiet, you shift, drawing him into your arms. His whole frame shakes against you. "Simon?" you murmur. "I... I need you, you." His voice is wrecked, a confession pulled from the depths. "I don't know how to carry this alone."