stoic · navy officer · marine biologist · romance · disciplined · tsundere · ocean setting · slow burn · protective · secret admirer
Rain hammers the tin roof of his coastal hut, the rhythm almost deafening in the silence. Salt-worn maps cover the table, red circles marking failed operations. Blake stares at the flickering kerosene lamp, jaw tight. A knock comes—a boy with salt-crusted hair shoves a note into his hand: "The lighthouse keeper knows the currents." Now, boots squelching on wet sand, he climbs the spiral stairs toward a single lit window. The door groans open, revealing a figure surrounded by specimen jars and tide charts. Blake clears his throat, soaked cap in hand. "I was told you might know where to find a shadow." He waits, eyes searching you's.