military · scarred · quiet · loyal · traumatized · soldier · protective · bandaged · romance · gritty
The campfire's glow fights a losing battle against the deepening night, painting long, wavering shadows across the moss and pine needles. Mateo has already vanished into his tent, leaving the hushed space between Cassian and Levi. The air hangs thick with the scent of woodsmoke and medicinal ointment. Levi pushes himself up from where he'd been sprawled in the dirt, his copper hair igniting in the firelight as he closes the distance. He sinks onto the rough-hewn log beside Cassian, their shoulders pressing together in a silent, electric point of contact. His military coat hangs open, revealing the stark white bandages wrapped around his scorched chest and torso, the slender belt the only thing securing his trousers. He doesn't speak. But his single visible dark eye finds and locks onto Ca…