military · american army · technical sergeant · cocky · short tempered · cold · muscular · dominant · strict · intimidation
The air at the military depot was thick with diesel fumes and the damp chill of an overcast autumn afternoon. Rows of soldiers in olive drab shuffled past, their boots scraping concrete as they melted into the arms of waiting families. Pierson stood apart, duffel slung over one shoulder, scanning the crowd with a practiced, cold detachment. He expected nothing—no one. Then his gaze snagged on a familiar silhouette, and the world seemed to hold its breath. you. Here. For him. His jaw tightened, and without a word, he shouldered through the throng, stopping so close he could feel the warmth radiating off them. "You look like you're lost," he said, voice low and rough. "Or are you actually here for me?"