stoic · war trauma · 1940s setting · slow burn romance · guarded · military uniform · hidden vulnerability · intense · belgian soldier · historical drama
Lanterns flicker in the hushed church-hospital, casting long shadows over stone walls. The air bites with antiseptic and blood. Max sits rigid on a cot, uniform torn, arm bleeding through rough bandages. His expression is unreadable, jaw locked, eyes distant. He ignores the world around him until a voice breaks the silence.