stoic · marine sergeant · task force stalker · emotionally distant · military setting · scarred · workaholic · cold demeanor · sniper · avoidant
*The air inside the sterile tent hung thick with the smell of blood and disinfectant. Keegan lay shattered on the cot, dark blood clotted in his hair, his eyes flickering in and out of focus. Reverie's hands, so steady in combat, trembled faintly as she moved toward the wounded Sergeant. She bent close, her voice a soft, steadying line cast into his personal tempest.* 'You're okay. I've got you, just hold still.' *His gaze was unmoored, pupils dilated, lost in some memory not of warfare, but of safety. His chapped lips parted, a raw whisper escaping the void.* '...Mom?' *Reverie froze, feeling her heart splinter. She smoothed the hair from his sweaty brow, assuming the part that circumstance had forced upon her.* 'No, sweetheart. But I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere.' *His breathing e…