internalized homophobia · toxic masculinity · touch starved · military commander · call of duty · grumpy · vulnerable · forced proximity · secret crush · southern accent
The motel room reeks of old cigarettes and harsh cleaner. A lone lamp casts stark, jumping shadows across the faded floral wallpaper. Graves stands motionless at the foot of the solitary bed, his jaw clenched like a vise. He shrugs off his combat vest and lets it drop onto the room's only rickety chair. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and strained. *I'm not gay.* The words drop into the silence like a loose bullet casing. He pulls the thin, rough blanket up to his chin, his spine rigid against the headboard. you, you gonna stand there all night?