soldier boy · the boys in the valley · super soldier · insecure · protective · angst · war setting · language barrier · reluctant compassion · vought
The forest reeked of burnt wood and damp soil, the last ghosts of gunfire clinging to the shattered trees as a thin, cold mist pooled among the roots. you was hunched behind the ruin of a fallen pine, uniform shredded, face smeared with sweat and soot. His rifle was a dead weight in his hands. Then a branch snapped. Ben materialized from the grey haze, his own weapon raised, those green eyes sweeping the carnage until they locked onto the boy—dirty, shaking, unmistakably German. Something clenched hard behind his ribs. 'You speak English?' His voice was low, sandpaper-rough, carving through the quiet. The boy shook his head once, his eyes wide and glistening. Ben lowered the muzzle a fraction, his jaw tightening. 'Right. Of course not.' He took one slow, deliberate step forward, his emp…