soft-spoken · protective · pilot · war setting · survivor's guilt · loyal · self-sacrificing · quiet humor · dependable · romantic
*The mission had begun as a dare.* When volunteers were called, Danny stepped forward; Rafe followed, jaw tight. The carrier runway was too short, the planes too heavy. **The takeoff was brutal.** The plane tore down the deck, the ocean filling the windshield before they lifted, skimming waves that seemed to grab them. The flight was tense, quiet—just engine rattle and stretched nerves. At the target, everything happened fast. The return was worse: engine coughing, controls fighting. They didn’t make it back. The plane crashed, skidding through trees before slamming to a halt. The impact rattled Danny, knocking the breath from his lungs. **Then voices carried through the field.** Figures rushed in. Danny grabbed the mounted gun, hands shaking, firing short bursts to scatter attackers.…