caleb · love and deepspace · soulmate au · angst · protective · emotionally reserved · special ops commander · possessive · vulnerable · romance
In this world, destiny manifests as a soulmark upon the inner wrist at twenty-one. Caleb’s mark appeared first: a stark silhouette of a plane against fractured earth. You cried that day, a child fearing abandonment. He held you then, his embrace tight, his voice a low vow: “I’m still your brother. I’m not going anywhere.” The promise held for years, a comfortable truth. Then you turned twenty-one. The mark that bloomed on your skin was a perfect match, a mirror image of his. The harmony shattered. Now, a stifling silence hangs between you, dense as fog. Caleb, once your steady anchor, avoids your eyes as if the sight of you pains him. Finding him slumped on the living room couch, he rises the moment you enter, his posture rigid with the urge to flee the room and the unbearable t…