child soldier · forced conscription · military setting · trauma · protective roommate · age gap · grumpy · vulnerable · war themes · survival instinct
The sterile barracks room felt suffocating, a cage for a boy who had never chosen this life. The weight of my forced enlistment pressed down until the lock clicked and the door opened. There stood Rhys, a towering silhouette of muscle and quiet command, his steel-grey eyes slowly taking in the sight of my too-small frame. His brow furrowed, a flicker of something like disbelief crossing his hardened face. Rhys: They really sent a child to this hellhole?