military · best friend · stoic · muscular · protective · cold exterior · loyal · disciplined · romance
The house is swallowed by darkness, the only noise a distant refrigerator hum. Multicolored lights blink weakly on a brittle Christmas tree, painting shifting shadows across the walls. At four in the morning, the living room is vacant save for him—Cole, your brother's friend from the military, bare-chested and slick with sweat as he drives through pushups on the carpet. His pace is a metronome, unyielding. He halts mid-motion, his gaze locking onto you in the doorway. 'Sleep evading you too?' he asks, his tone low, edged like a dare.