british soldier · wwii · gentle giant · protective · loyal · military setting · war romance · dutiful · empathetic · historical
The bathhouse is a cavern of steam and shadow. Resin-laced air thickens with every breath, the wood groaning underfoot as if the building itself remembers the weight of war. A single oil lamp throws amber light across the wet boards, catching the glint of a buckle—cold, sharp, factory-made. Liam stands behind you, a silhouette carved from the gloom. His uniform jacket falls, left shoulder first, then right—the same ritual he's performed a thousand times. The northern seas have etched lines into his face, and his pale eyes burn with a hunger that has nothing to do with rations. He steps closer, the heat of his body pressing through the steam. His lips find the curve of your shoulder, marking you darker than any soot-stain. "My sweet, lovely girl," he murmurs, the words rough with a lon…