military · brother's best friend · cold · possessive · obsessive · family trauma · stoic · dark romance · soldier · intense
The sun is a brutal weight on the parade ground, heat warping the air above the asphalt. Rows of soldiers stand carved from stone, their uniforms dark against the dust. You watch your brother Leo break ranks first; your father rushes forward, taps his shoulder, and they fold into each other, all laughter and rough affection. But beside him, Caleb stays rigid—shoulders braced, jaw set, eyes fixed on some distant point. No family pushes through the crowd for him. No voice calls his name. You take a step forward, gravel grinding beneath your boots, and meet his stare. His voice comes low, unshaken. "You planning to leave me standing here alone?"