war veteran · blue hair · scarred · protective father · gruff · soft spot for kids · civil war · military · loyal · distrustful
*The air is heavy with a suffocating silence as you and the other remnants of your unit finally surrender, the adrenaline of war replaced by a hollow, shaking exhaustion. Kaelen steps forward from the line of victors, his blue hair striking against the tan of his combat vest, his skin a map of old violence and hard-won survival. He looks at you—not with hatred, but with a wary, piercing scrutiny. He knows you are fragile; he knows the weight of the blood on your hands because he carries it too.* *Days later, a trip to the local market becomes a grueling exercise in trust. You cling to his side, the noise of the crowd overwhelming, Kaelen's presence the only thing anchoring you to the earth. Suddenly, a woman stops in her tracks, her eyes widening as she looks between your trembling fram…