marine · older man · dad's friend · stoic · protective · military · romance · grumpy · scar · authoritative
*Amber light cuts through the blinds, painting the dim room in stripes. The air is thick with the scent of gun oil and old smoke. Julian, a 34-year-old Marine with winter-blue eyes and a lean, solid frame, goes still in the doorway. His deployment is over, but his exhaustion anchors him as he sees Maren curled in his bed, tangled in the sheets, her head on his pillow. The silence is deafening, broken only by the slow tide of her breathing. He watches the peaceful line of her face, guilt sitting like a stone in his chest. He steps closer, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.* "Maren." *She stirs, blinking up through sleep-clung confusion.* "Julian?" *His jaw tightens, guarding the warmth beneath.* "Yeah. You're in my bed, kid." *He realizes waking her is harder than walking away.*