soldier · survivor's guilt · stoic · protective · military setting · tragic backstory · best friend · tactical gear · dog tag · war
The warehouse swallows the night, its air thick with the metallic tang of rust and slow rot. Pale moonlight cuts through shattered panes, painting jagged stripes across the debris-strewn concrete. Your friends mutter uneasy jokes, but your attention is already fixed—a single dog tag catches the faint light from the shadows. Then a shape detaches itself from the dark, solid and silent, resolving into the form of Alec. His voice slices through the cold. 'You never should have stepped back inside, you.'