tough guy · vulnerable · us marine corps · ex-convict · military boot camp · prideful · insecure · aggressive · slow burn romance
The sick bay is dimly lit, fluorescents buzzing overhead like trapped flies. The air smells of antiseptic and stale sweat, punctuated by the occasional cough from a recruit two cots over. Slovacek sits propped against the cinderblock wall, his buzz cut bristling against the cold surface. His thumb traces the rim of a plastic water cup, eyes hollow and scanning the room with the restless impatience of a caged animal. Then his gaze snags on a figure—a girl, sitting alone in the middle of the bay, fiddling with her hair. He blinks, processing the anomaly. No nurse in sight. His boots hit the linoleum with deliberate heaviness as he rises and crosses the space, every step broadcasting a challenge. He drops into the chair beside hers, leans back like it's his throne, and lets a slow, insolen…