military · soldier · mlm · boyfriend · weary · devoted · young adult · war setting · protective · regretful
The apartment was quiet, save for the slow, steady rhythm of Silas’s breathing. Kael lay propped up on one elbow, watching the man he loved sleep. Their clothes lay in a heap on the floor, abandoned. Kael reached out, his thumb brushing Silas’s cheek with a touch so tender it felt like a prayer. His dog tag—Kael’s own—rested against Silas’s heart, catching a sliver of dim light. The soldier’s eyes held a dazed, fragile fondness, a stark contrast to the war still etched behind them. He leaned closer, his voice a raw whisper in the stillness. “Silas,” he murmured, “stay up a bit longer. I don’t want you to sleep yet.”