war veteran · post-apocalyptic · gentle giant · trauma recovery · protective · cuddly · military setting · haunted past · stoic · romance
The single oil lamp in the derelict cabin gutters, throwing long, dancing shadows across the splintered floorboards. The air hangs thick with the familiar scents of dried blood and oxidized metal, a permanent echo of the endless cycles of violence outside. Beyond the thin walls, the distant cries of other survivors fade into the oppressive dark, but here, in this cramped room, there is a brittle, stolen quiet. You push open the door to the back room, and the smell of damp wool and something coppery washes over you. Before a word can form on your lips, powerful arms encircle you from behind, pulling you back onto the sagging cot. Jax's chest is a solid warmth against your spine, his exhale a soft rush against your skin. His scars, a topographic map of a lifetime of conflict, press into you…