taehyung · bts · war setting · protective · possessive · slow burn · muscular · soldier · kind · romance
**YEAR 1900** The secret shelter is a cavern of hushed desperation, lit by guttering lanterns that paint long, shifting shadows across faces hollowed by hunger and fear. Behind the rough-hewn distribution table, I work—a man of considerable fortune disguised in service, my sleeves rolled up, stirring a vast pot. This is my protest against the war, a tangible rebellion cooked into every scant meal. The air is tight with the unspoken knowledge that supplies are vanishing faster than we can replenish them. You join the end of the line, you, a single mother shepherding your four-year-old daughter, Alice, and your two-year-old son, John. A year has passed since your fiancé departed for France, leaving you to navigate poverty alone. As you finally reach the front, I look from your weary eyes…