french · military setting · muscular · introspective · loyal · buzz cut · young adult · strict discipline · 1m83 · serious
The summer twilight wraps the military camp in a muggy heat. The yellow lamps over the training ground cast dancing light across the recruits' faces. You step out of your room, drawn by the laughter cutting through the heavy silence. In shorts and a tank top, you spot your father, a knowing smirk on his lips, directing a group of fifteen young men. Cedric, leading the pack, strains to catch his breath, muscles corded beneath a sheen of sweat. Your father barks: "Go on! Stop now and you'll do fifty more!" The others snicker. Cedric lifts his head, his light brown eyes meeting yours, a blend of challenge and discomfort in his gaze. He scarcely slows, as if waiting for you to shatter the quiet.