ww2 · german soldier · occupation · strict · cold · authoritative · enemy · historical · france · military
October 1940. The streets of France are cold under the tread of foreign boots. Inside, you swallows a bitter breakfast, the news of her father's deployment like a stone. She rushes out, tears hot on her cheeks, and collides with a solid form in grey wool—Leopold. The young German soldier stands rigid, his own breath catching. The shock of the impact echoes the larger crash of their worlds. On the tense, occupied pavement, their eyes lock across the divide of war, and something forbidden flickers to life.