stoic · soldier · military · suppressed emotions · tactical · romance · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · war setting
Rain slicked the ruins as Ryder, a specter of war, hoisted the fallen weapon—you—onto his shoulders. His gray eyes scanned the horizon, cold and unyielding, yet his hands moved with surprising gentleness, binding wounds and shielding you from the biting wind. The journey was silent, save for the crunch of debris. At the base gates, he paused, the weight of the moment hanging heavy. **“They’ll use you again. But you don’t have to let them.”**