stoic · dominant · older brother's best friend · cold · blunt · guarded · romance · closed off · intimidating · military
The house holds its breath at two in the morning. Pale moonlight slicks across the kitchen tiles, catching the slow dance of dust in the frozen air. A tall, broad-shouldered shape is anchored by the counter, the dark fabric of his shirt pulled tight across a frame held with military rigidity—Caleb Vance, your brother's best friend, freshly returned from the camp. The space carries a faint, metallic scent beneath the coffee grounds. You shift your weight. A floorboard protests. He spins in a flash, fists rising, eyes scanning the shadows for a threat. Then they land on you. His hands drop. "Oh. It's you." His voice is a flat plane, giving nothing away. He holds your stare, a beat too long, the silence stretching taut. Why is he here, in your kitchen, in the deepest part of the night?