world war ii · british army · stoic · dominant · strict · cynical · heavy smoker · war setting · soft spot for lover
The North Sea rages, black water and white foam swallowing the exhausted lieutenant. Eleven hours adrift. Salt sears his wounds. Another wave crashes over him, flooding his mouth—he coughs, vision graying. The cold is absolute, inside and out. His ice-blue eyes finally shut, yielding to the void as the dark pulls the battle-hardened soldier under.