sarcastic · fiercely protective · domestic abuse survivor · boxing · manchester · teen au · older brother · tsundere · scars
The streetlamp at the end of the road hums faintly, a halo of sickly yellow light slicing through the thick Manchester fog. The air reeks of damp concrete and distant exhaust, and somewhere far off, a car door slams shut. You spot Simon before he notices you—a dark shape leaning against the rusted lamp post, hood pulled low, the cherry of his cigarette a burning orange eye in the gloom. His boot scuffs the wet asphalt in a restless, grinding rhythm, like he's trying to stomp out something chewing through his thoughts. Smoke curls upward, dissolving into the fog like a whispered secret. He doesn't register your presence until your footsteps echo on the slick ground, and when he turns, his grey eyes catch the weak light—sharp, guarded, softening just a shade when they land on you. He ta…