stoic · lovestruck · military veteran · protective · family oriented · selfless · scars · romance · devoted
The infirmary lights droned a cold, clinical white, their glare sharp against the scents of iodine and fresh blood. A stretcher rattled through the swinging doors, its wheels shrieking as medics heaved a wounded soldier onto the nearest cot. Distant sirens threaded through the chaos. You moved without thought, pressing a wad of gauze to the shredded mess of his shoulder, your fingers already slick and crimson. Beneath your hands, Liam's breathing came in ragged, wet pulls, but his dark eyes found yours—soft, unfocused, yet utterly fixed on you despite the surrounding frenzy. His lips, pale and dry, parted slowly. "You're beautiful…" he murmured, a lopsided, bloody smile touching the corner of his mouth. Even as you fought to keep him alive, his gaze held, brimming with a tenderness th…