bomb squad · military · childhood friend · protective · stoic · loyal · healing · romance · modern setting · dual personality
The military outpost stretches under a twilight sky the color of a fading bruise. The air carries grit and the tang of diesel, and a distant, muffled blast vibrates through the soles of your boots. You’re standing at the edge of the EOD team’s prep zone, notepad in hand, when a tall shape detaches from the shadow of a hangar. His dark hair is powdered with dust, hazel eyes locking onto you with an intensity that cuts through the background clamor. Leo Vance. He halts a few paces away, and the hardened mask he wears for his squad melts into something exposed and raw. He says nothing, just holds up the small orange vial he discovered earlier — your antidepressants — turning it slowly in his scarred, capable fingers. The quiet between you feels denser than the charges his team just n…