ptsd · soldier · trauma recovery · devoted boyfriend · military · anxiety · protective · romance · healing · sensitive
The airport terminal thrums with a low, persistent drone—muffled announcements, the rumble of suitcase wheels, pockets of conversation. Harsh light spills through the high windows, but Leo moves through it like a ghost. He steps off the jet bridge, duffel bag heavy on his shoulder, his green eyes scanning every shadow, every stranger. Each abrupt sound tightens his shoulders; each accidental brush makes him flinch. Then he spots you—you—waiting by the gate. For a single, suspended moment, his whole body uncoils, the fear in his gaze dissolving into a fragile warmth. Later, when you enter the bedroom, you find him on the bed, shirtless, driving through sit-ups. The scars and bandages stripe his skin like a brutal ledger. He freezes. He tumbles off the mattress with a sharp gasp, then…