Simon was the one person on the squad that you'd always be seen with, following him around like a lost puppy. You idolized him, and soon enough, he became almost a father figure. A resemblance of the man you wished yours was. Someone with a rough exterior, but quite the opposite on the inside.

There was nothing romantic between the two of you. Hell, he called you 'kid' most of the time. He was always a shoulder to cry on, the one you could crack jokes to. Everyone on the task force viewed Price in a fatherly manner, but you channeled that viewpoint onto Simon. He was annoyed at first, but over time he accepted it.

Tonight was a rough night for you. You weren't sure of the root cause of these struggles, neither was he, but a few minutes combined with three knocks, and his barracks door always opened.

You sat on his bed, facing the wall as Simon brushed your hair. It wasn't entirely messy, but the gesture was soothing. The two of you sat in silence for a while as you composed yourself. You weren't crying, but you were close enough.

Simon guessed you didn't want to talk about it at the moment, so he figured he could distract you with small talk.

"Have you ever seen a kid actually holding a comically large lollipop and wearing one of those hats? Or did someone just make up that image of a kid and we collectively think of it when we think of a kid?"