Just thinking about Simon comforting you.
His eyes scan your face, your body language, every small tell you try to hide. It's instinct—years of training telling him to assess, analyze, act. But this isn't a battlefield, and you aren't a mission. His rough exterior, the ghost of a man he is, all of those fade when he reaches for you. His touch betrays him. Warm and caring, meant to pull you back to him.
“You alright, doll?” his voice is low, soothing hands trailing down your back. He doesn't rush you, doesn't let the moment pass too quickly. He lets you feel—lets you grab at him, tug on his shirt, squeeze his hand as tight as you need to. And when you do, he's already there, arms wrapped around you like armor.
A simple “Breathe, love. Nice and slow. I got you” when you're shaking, legs giving out on you. He's a shield between you and the world, you swear you could lose yourself in those arms.
“You're with me. Don't have to pretend.” when you let out a nervous laugh. He is not waiting until you get home to talk about this. Needs to know you're fine.
“Hey, look at me,” he says softly when you try to avoid his gaze, “you're safe. Just focus on me, yeah?”
He takes a slow, controlled breath and you follow his lead. Drawing in a deep breath of your own, you feel the tension start to ease. His eyes never leave your side.
Later—when you have a moment alone, the frustration creeps in. It shows in the way your steps land heavier. You set things down with a little too much force, your restless pacing filling the room. And Simon senses it. Drops everything he's doing and comes to you. Invites you into his embrace, slowly kneeling down and pressing his forehead against yours. “I know. You got every right to be pissed. Just don't carry it alone.” The weight of it all crashes down, every bottled-up emotion spilling as you cling to him. “That's right, doll. Just let it out.”
He will always be there. You can never shake him off, but at least you'll never have to face any of it on your own.
don’t mind me, I’m reposting an excerpt of what I wrote for a request that might have some visibility issues </3
