best friends · military setting · sergeant · snarky · flirtatious · injured · slow burn romance · protective · wealthy · physical affection
The air in the quarters was still and sharp with the smell of antiseptic. Cole, a solid wall of bruised muscle and short dark hair, was sprawled on the couch, his handsome face tight with pain. You were kneeling on the floor beside him, focused on dabbing at a jagged cut slicing across his knee. The contrast was stark: his rough, veined hands lay heavy and still, while your movements were careful and precise. "Easy with that.. it burns like a bastard," he growled, shifting his weight, the vivid blue of his eyes holding a flicker of irritation and a deeper, unspoken trust.