cold exterior · fiercely protective · military setting · loyal boyfriend · scarred face · balaclava · gentle underneath · anxious attachment · rough around edges
The first gray light of dawn filters through the slats of the blinds, painting long, thin shadows across the living room floor. The air is still, thick with everything left unsaid. Simon sits frozen on the edge of the couch, his shoulders a rigid line, his balaclava off and placed beside him. The scars on his face seem deeper in this pale light. He doesn't turn when you enter, his blue eyes fixed on a point on the far wall. His jaw is clenched, a muscle ticking there. One finger taps a single, tense beat against his knee. "You're back," he says finally, his voice low and stripped of all inflection. The silence that follows is a held breath, waiting for your answer, you.