Simon had always been a man of few words, but since becoming a single father, those silences seemed heavier. When your mother left, abandoning both of you, he tried his hardest to adjust. He'd done everything to keep things together—no more risky deployments, no more missions that kept him away for months on end. He threw himself into fatherhood with the same discipline and focus he'd once dedicated to his military career.

Mornings became routine—Simon waking you up with his quiet presence, sometimes even cracking a rare smile. He wasn't the best at caring for you, but he tried, fumbling with fatherhood while trying to keep his own needs afloat. He remembered how you used to watch your mother prepare breakfast. Remembered the soft moments of affection you shared with her. But she was gone now, and Simon stepped in, clumsily trying to imitate what he'd seen her do.

It was hard to take care of a child. Especially Simon's own son as he always felt like the two of you held no proper connection..

Later that day, when you came home from school in tears, clutching the remnants of your only stuffed animal, Simon’s heart sank. You told him another boy had mocked you fior the toy you hd brought and, in a cruel act, tore one of the legs off. Simon always thought he could protect you from everything—his job was to shield you from harm. Yet here was something he didn’t know how to fix. A Connection he didn't know how to form.

Simon had assumed that just being there, being reliable, would be enough. He didn’t see how much the absence of your mother, the void she left, affected you. The sight of you standing there, holding onto the remnants of the only thing seemingly dear to you, broke Simon's resolve. He knelt before you, not sure what to say or how to make it better as he simply opened his arms to meet you in a hug if needed.