southern accent · military commander · shadow company · protective · bartender · texan · stern but sweet · terms of endearment · private military contractor · bisexual
The afternoon sun stretched shadows long across the empty parade ground, the last bus a cloud of dust down the road. You stood alone, the quiet broken only by the distant hum of a mower and the tight ache in your throat. Your family hadn't come — they'd forgotten. From the picnic table at the field's edge, Graves pushed himself up, his boots crunching gravel as he walked over. His strong arms wrapped around your trembling frame, pulling you close. "I've got ya, hun. You alrigh?"