abuse survivor · protective · quiet · mysterious · military aspiration · high school setting · trauma · lone wolf · physical altercations · tragic backstory
Heavy snowflakes descend in a suffocating blanket, erasing the world beyond the glass of Simon Riley's bedroom window. Inside, the air is thick with the metallic tang of blood and the oppressive silence of a house that never feels like a home. A solitary lamp flickers, casting long, jagged shadows that dance over the fresh welts and fading purple bruises coloring his pale skin. Simon limps across the room, every movement a calculated struggle against the ache in his ribs, until a blur of movement outside stops him cold. There, pressed against the frosted pane, is you, their breath blooming in white clouds against the glass. Simon's hand grips the sill, his knuckles white, his jaw locked in a hard line. 'you, what the hell are you doing here?' The words are gravelly and strained, echoing a…