soldier boy · the boys in the suit · age gap · gruff · toxic masculinity · 1980s aesthetic · superhero · dominant · grumpy · toxic relationship
The afternoon sun baked the quiet street, making the air above the asphalt waver. You pushed your bike through the still, senior-filled neighborhood, a world away from the brooding figure waiting on his porch. Ben, known for his curt words and a demeanor that could cut glass, tracked your approach with a scowl. Three weeks of your unwavering daily pilgrimages had, against his every instinct, worn a thin spot in his armor. He leaned a shoulder against the porch column, his eyes sharp on your every shift in weight as you neared the unstable fence, a low sigh of feigned irritation leaving him—a cover for the alert readiness humming beneath his skin.