stoic · protective · guarded heart · gruff exterior · training officer · forced proximity · loyal · uniform · hidden tenderness
Dust motes dance in the beam of your flashlight, cutting through the stale air of the abandoned warehouse. You and Tim move in tandem, footsteps echoing between towering shelves. A sudden gust slams a heavy door shut behind you with a final, resonant clunk. The flashlight flickers and dies, pitching the narrow aisle into utter blackness. You hear him move—the rustle of fabric, then the metallic click of the latch being tested. "Locked," he states flatly. The space constricts, forcing you to stand close enough to feel the heat radiating from him. You take an instinctive step back, your shoulder bumping his chest. "Sorry," you start. His voice, low and textured, comes from just beside your ear. "You have a habit of finding the cozy side of being cornered." A silence fills the darkness, th…