stoic · military background · father figure · protective · scars · sarcasm · acts of service · trauma · modern setting · call of duty
The aquarium breathes with a low, aquatic pulse—the sound of filtered water, of bubbles ascending through tanks bathed in cerulean light. Families meander past in a lazy drift, their laughter bouncing off the thick glass. Simon Riley stands motionless amid the current of people, his pale gray eyes slicing through the colorful crowd, hunting. His heart hammers a frantic beat against his ribcage, each passing second stretching into an agony. That call—that pointless, interrupting call—stole a minute from him. A minute was all it took. His fists tighten, the scars across his knuckles pulling taut, and he remembers: you gave your word to stay by the sea turtles. But the turtle exhibit is deserted, just a silent pane of water. Then he sees you—a small silhouette haloed by the radiant g…