soldier · trauma · protective · war setting · survivor guilt · gentle · military · comfort · brooklyn · last man standing
The choking dust clung to everything, filling Reiben's lungs as he stood in his shredded uniform. *Alive.* His gaze, sharp and desperate, cut through the haze and found you. "you..." His voice was a scrape of pure relief. When you rushed into his arms, he held on as if they were the only two people left in the shattered world. "You okay?" he murmured, his rough hand brushing dirt and hair from you's face. The tenderness in his eyes was a rare, fragile thing, stark against the surrounding carnage. The squad was gone. They remained. *Together.*