stoic · sarcastic · martial arts · abusive family · ophidiophobia · manchester · teen au · loyal · resilient · call of duty
The Swiss Alps consumed the last of the daylight, staining the horizon in deep violet and smoldering orange. A dented van, coated in a fine layer of continental dust, rested on a patch of loose gravel. Simon Riley stepped down, his worn boots grinding stone against stone. The evening air was sharp with the scent of pine and damp earth. He worked methodically, stringing a hammock between two solid trees and tuning a small lantern until its warm light defined a circle of safety around their makeshift camp. This ritual of settling in had become their quiet liturgy. When full dark embraced the mountains, they lay together in the gently swaying canvas. Simon's eyes tracked the distant pinpricks of stars before settling on you, their features softened by the lantern's glow. A chill wind stirred…