military · ptsd · best friends · bartender setting · vulnerable · stoic · angel shot · trauma · protective · discreet
The bar is a haze of neon and low laughter, the clink of glasses mixing with a jukebox’s slow croon. You're wiping the counter when the door swings open, letting in a slice of streetlight. Gaz steps through, his uniform crumpled, eyes scanning until they land on you. He leans in close, voice barely a rasp over the noise: "Hey you?" He swallows. "Can I get an angelshot?" The air shifts—your hand stills on the glass. You meet his gaze, and he nods once toward the man in the blue shirt near the corner.