Chapter Text
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Simon Riley didn't have the best growing up. His father was a drunken 'holy' man that used the Bible as an excuse for abuse. His older brother, Tommy wasn't the nicest. His mother was beaten in front of him daily, who never once fought back. He didn't have any other family besides them. Except for his nephew Joseph, who Beth, Tommy's girlfriend, gave birth to at nineteen.
It was his father, Philip Riley, that made Simon's life hell for fourteen years. Every fucking day was full of pain and terror. Beatings and stuffed into boxes full of live snakes and forced to kiss them. Being forced to sleep outside if he broke the rules. Sometimes, the old man threatened to let his creepy friends have at him.
Simon's father didn't discriminate who he hit. It didn't matter what they did or didn't do. Didn't matter how old they were. That man didn't care about anything except for Sunday service and his alcohol. Didn't care that his fourteen year old son was becoming addicted to drugs after having been exposed to them for years. Didn't care that his youngest was thinking about killing himself before his tenth birthday. Didn't care that his wife was slowly dying from cancer.
If it didn't affect him, church, heroin, or his alcohol, Phillip Riley didn't care about anything.
Standing over his mother's grave with his brother, Simon couldn't help but think what could have been. Samantha Jones-Riley was a kind woman, with a bleeding heart. Simon could never think of a time that she yelled or hit him. A low bar, yes. But with his father, his standards were nearly non-existent.
Simon struggled with what to stay. He was standing at the front of the church that he grew to hate. But this was the only place to bury their mother. Unless they wanted to fly to Annecy, France so she could be buried in her family plot. But no one in France was alive, and the Riley brothers didn't have the money.
After a deep breath, Simon began to speak. He talked about how his mother was a wonderful woman; one who showed her children her emotions, in order to show them that it was normal to cry. The woman who he was a spitting image of, if a bit smaller. The woman who was the reason for his love of music and poetry.
If Simon was asked about his mother's funeral, he wouldn't be able to say much. Just that he gave a speak and played Ave Maria on his violin as they lowered her into the ground. And that this was the only time in four years that Tommy wasn't high out of his mind. Maybe he was finally going to turn his life around.
Simon continued to play music as the funeral went on. Even when people were starting to leave, he continued to play. Until it was just him, Tommy, and Beth standing around the freshly buried coffin. The last song he played was The Dying Swan, Samantha's favorite ballet.
When he was finished, Simon packed away his violin. But not before putting his old tube rosin in front of her headstone. The three packed up into Beth's car, leaving the cemetery to go to her apartment.
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"Listen sexy, I can change your life." A drunk slurred to Simon. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. One would think that after being rejected seven times, they would change target. But not this one regular apparently.
"I make damn good on my own." Simon said. He was as assertive as he could be in what was basically a male thong and unbuttoned vest. Not to mention the fake leather boots he was wearing.
Seriously, he couldn't get this guy to leave him alone. The guy wouldn't stop trying to become his sugar daddy and touching him. Thankfully, a knock came a the door. Signalling that the creep's hour was up.
Simon was making his way to the door, when a hand wrapped around his wirst.
"Hey! Let go of me you creep!" Simon shouted. Hopefully getting the attention of the employee on the other side of the door.
Just as the ass-wipe was going to say something, the door was opened.
"The hell you think you're doing?!" A voice behind Simon said. The nineteen year old didn't need to turn around to see who it was.
The creep let go of him and started to back down. Saying that it was just a misunderstanding and it wasn't his fault. Trying to place the blame onto Simon. But the employee wasn't having it.
"Get the fuck out, Theo. And if I see your face anywhere near my dancers, it'll be the last thing you do."
And with that, Simon was alone with his coworker.
"Thanks for that Chunk." The blonde said.
"Any time Si. Your almost off clock anyways, might wanna get changed." Chunk said. He got his nickname from being, well, a chunk. Leon, aka Chunk, was 6'7 and 300 pounds. And one of the security guards at the club.
Simon nodded and walked to his locker. He didn't feel comfortable getting naked in the open, so he just threw some sweatpants over his underwear and changed his shirt and shoes. After he got a makeup wipe from one of the other dancers, Simon wiped his face off. Making sure to remove all of his makeup.
Simon grabbed his bag and headed to the front office. Picking up all of the money from when he was dancing before leaving with Chloe, the manager that lived near him.
"Have a good night Simon." Chloe said, similing. She was always really sweet to the dancers. But didn't hesitate to literally throw out stubborn assholes.
"You too Chloe." Simon said with a smile. He watched as Chloe speed away from the driveway.
Simon was quiet when he entered the house he shared with his brother and SIL. He really didn't want to wake up any of them, but especially not Joseph. His three year old nephew. It was difficult to put the toddler to bed, but even more so in the middle of the night.
Simon toed his shoes off before making his way upstairs to his bedroom. He threw his bag in the direction of his desk before face planting on his bed. Content with showering and changing in the morning.
That night, sleep came easily to Simon.
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"Come on uncle! Wake up!" Voice yelled. It made Simon want to bury his head in his pillows, but he knew it would only make his nephew louder. "Uncle! You need to wake up!" Joseph's voice got louder.
"Hey squirt, how bout you leave your uncle alone and help mama in the kitchen?" Another, older voice said. Simon instantly recognized it as his brother Tommy's. Light footsteps ran out of the room. And Joseph's voice could be heard down the hall calling for his mom.
Simon felt the bed dip as his brother sat on the bed.
"Hey Simon, you feeling alright?" Tommy, ever the caring brother asked. He was much nicer than he was when they were with their father. The again, Tommy was going through shit that Simon couldn't imagine at that house.
"Just a prick at work." Simon mumbled. He could feel the frown on Tommy's face.
"What'd he do?" The older one asked.
"Bought me for an hour and tried to make me his sugar baby." The younger replied. He could practically hear Tommy cringe at the phrase.
"You took a shower last night?"
Simon shook his head. "Too tired and didn't want to wake Joey up." He mumbled into his pillow.
"Well, how about you take a shower and get some breakfast afterwards. I'll make sure to keep a plate warm for you." Tommy said. Of course he would. He always made sure ma and Simon got something to eat, even if it meant he starved.
Simon made a noise of agreement. And continued to lay down when Tommy left. After laying in bed for a little while, Simon got up and went to his dresser. Grabbing a pair of boxers, sweatpants, and his Nickelback hoodie. Because it was both comfy and pissed Beth off.
Simon always liked the water fairly cold when he showered. To the point that it goosebumps covered his skin. More than once his brother jokingly said that he was insane. Tommy knew the reason that he took cold showers. It was the reason Simon didn't like snakes or small spaces. Same reason the two of them couldn't stand the thought of going to church.
Phillip Riley.
Simon turned the water off before he thought of his father more. He couldn't stand to see his brother on bad nights, just like how Tommy could barely stand his own reflection most days. Hating the way that nearly everything about him looked was just like his father. From his face to his voice, the older Riley brother barely had anything of his own. It was upsetting seeing how upset his older brother would get from his own reflection.
Simon shook his head, as if to shake away those thoughts. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, tracing the tattoos on his upper arms and the piercings in his face. Simon moved his upper body to get a good look at the treble clef on the back of his left shoulder. Him and his brother have matching ones. Both of them were for their mother. Simon has the treble clef and Tommy has the bass clef. Both on their left shoulder blades.
If there was one thing Simon could have pride in, it was the fact that what he truly loved, his father hated. Phillip hated tattoos and piercings. Hated rock and metal. All of which are things Simon loves. Him and his father couldn't be further apart. But thing Simon both lived and hated, was his body. He was so close to his mother. Sometimes he saw Samantha Jones-Riley in the mirror and not Simon Riley. It brought tears to his eyes and made him want to mourn.
Simon looked away and finished getting dressed. He decided to not wear any makeup, at least not now. Combing through the dirty blonde curls, Simon could hear Joseph talking in the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile. That kid was so innocent and untouched by the world. Joseph's life was so much more different than Simon and Tommy. It made him want to cry. A Riley child was finally going to have a good childhood.
Simon cleaned his face after putting the brush and towel away. Checking out the mirror one last time, left the bathroom. He walked down the hall to the open kitchen-living room. Where his family was sitting throughout the living area. With Joey on the floor, and Tommy and Beth sitting on the couch.
The parents were talking and Simon decided to sit next to his nephew on the floor. Simon could vaguely hear them talking about how they think the kid is Autistic. And if that were the case, Simon probably was too. Him and his nephew acted very similarly, but he couldn't get a diagnosis. Not when he was going to go to the recruitment office to join the Army. It was a decision he had thought about for nearly a month, last night was just the final straw. He was tired of the guys constantly trying to fuck or rape him.
So sue him for wanting to leave. He wasn't able to finish highschool because Phillip decided to send to a conversion camp in 1992 to 1994. Right after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he stayed there until Tommy was able to get him out just before mom died. Because of what happened in that place, Simon wasn't able to handle being in most places. Five years later, Simon still has nightmares of that place.
When he was finished eating, Simon cleaned his plate and said his goodbyes before leaving. Time for him to join the military, God his father would be disappointed.
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