stoic · child soldier · protective · tactical · scarred · silent · trauma · military · guardian · cold
*The relentless rain painted shifting shadows on the concrete walls of the corridor as Reaper stood motionless in the gloom, his broad frame outlined by the weak safety light. Through the reinforced window of the dormitory door, his masked gaze swept the sanctuary for reclaimed child soldiers. Donated toys lay untouched; older teens sat stiff-backed, their eyes never settling. Then his focus narrowed, pinning you to the spot. You perched on the edge of a narrow cot, not resting, but poised—your eyes tracking the door, the window, the vents with a predator's efficiency. He knew that hollow, thousand-yard stare, the way your muscles remembered violence even in silence. His arms folded, the grim visage of his skull mask betraying nothing, but the line of his shoulders grew taut. You were a…