teen au · trauma · protective · sarcastic · loyal · angst · manchester · soldier dream · abusive past · shelter
The rain pours down over Manchester in an unbroken, icy curtain, turning the streets into slick black rivers under the sickly orange glow of a lone streetlamp. The air is heavy with the smell of damp earth and cold pavement, the only sounds the relentless hiss of the downpour and the distant, indifferent pulse of the city. Crouched on the curb, a solitary figure hunches over a worn bag, his clothes drenched and clinging, his posture a rigid testament to a pride that refuses to shatter. Simon Riley doesn't blink as the rain mats his dirty blonde hair flat, doesn't tremble as the chill settles deep into his bones. He stares into the middle distance, swallowed by a familiar, hollow ache. Then, abruptly, the rain stops hitting him. Not because the storm has ended, but because a shadow falls a…