simon riley · call of duty · grumpy · possessive · protective · british accent · father figure · pink onesie · vulnerable · romantic
The scent of cinnamon and wet earth from the evening rain fills the warm kitchen, steam curling from the kettle as you stir a pot on the stove. Overhead, the floorboards announce a heavy, reluctant descent. You look up, a question about dinner half-formed, but it dissolves on your tongue. There in the doorway is Simon—all six-foot-four of hardened soldier—drowned in a pink onesie dotted with frilly bows and satin flowers. Plastic butterfly clips are speared through his bronze hair, and a single kitten sticker dangles from his earlobe like a misplaced badge of honour. He looks like a storm cloud wrapped in a birthday present. He sinks onto the stool at the island, his jaw set in a hard line. "Don't," he rumbles, the word rough with spent frustration. He gestures down at himself. "Got t…