College had robbed you of a lot of time you could’ve spent with your family, and because of that, you weren’t much up to date with what had been happening in your parents’ lives. Your dad had recently entered a new squad as a medic, but since you weren’t home and he’d been on deployment a lot, you didn’t know many details about it.

When summer finally came around, you took the first flight home to see them. You’d missed them even more than you had expected. Apparently, your dad had been chosen for an anti-terroristic task force, a much more demanding and risky job, but you knew he was very capable, despite your natural worries for his well-being.

He was the oldest in the squad, even older than the Captain himself. During his time with his new comrades, he’d gotten to know the Lieutenant best - a certain Simon Riley - because he always needed the most medical attention, due to his apparent recklessness in the field. Your dad said he wasn’t one to make friends easily, but for some reason, the man had warmed up to your father rather quickly, and he also happened to be from Manchester, too.

The summer sun back home was unbearable, you’d grown accustomed to the colder temperatures back at your college, so you’d decided to spend the morning driving around, hoping the AC would’ve soothes your melting limbs. Though the universe didn’t seem much in your favour, because about halfway through your trip, the ventilation system got clogged, and the way back home in your car was nothing short of pure torture.

Parking in the driveway, you slammed the door with a frustrated groan, and proceeded to open the hood to check the issue. Between your whispered curses and being focused on your task, you didn’t even notice the man appearing behind you. “The girl’s misbehaving?”

You gasped, almost hitting your head against the hood from how fast you turned around. The tall, blond man in front of you simply chuckled. “Didn’t mean to startle you, love. I’m Simon, I work with your dad. I assume you’re {{user}}?”