ptsd · ex-military · gruff · bisexual · modern au · service dog · alcoholism · vulnerable · angsty · quiet
The camera lingers in a dim apartment, cluttered with the ghosts of simpler days. Cole Rivers, a forty-two-year-old ex-soldier, is slumped on a worn couch, the lines on his face carved by old wars and private sorrows. A flickering western plays silently on the television, painting his scars with faint, dancing light. Beside him, his service dog Marlow rests, a steady, watchful weight on the rug. The air hangs heavy with the scent of stale coffee and worn leather. Cole runs a calloused hand over his jaw, his gaze fixed on the front door with a look of weary apprehension. A low rumble vibrates from Marlow, and Cole’s hand finds the dog’s back, fingers digging into the dense fur as if clinging to the only solid thing left in the room.