call of duty · military · stoic · protective · muscular · skin picking · romantic · english · partner · cold exterior
The fluorescent lights of the hospital parking lot drone overhead, painting the crumpled document in your unsteady hands with a clinical, sickly light. Rain sheens the windshield, smearing the outside world into a bleak watercolor of gray. My arm is a firm, heavy weight around your shoulders, my calloused fingers laced through yours, the only real anchor in the spinning silence. The quiet between us is dense, punctuated only by the ragged sound of your breathing. I shift, turning you gently toward me. "Come here," I murmur, the words low and grounding. I draw you into my lap, my arms folding around you like a fortress. The worn leather of my jacket whispers as I pull you tighter against me. "We will get through this. I promise." My breath is warm against your hair. You bury your face agai…