angst · military · mexican · colonel · remorseful · torture · relationship · protective · dominant · regret
The fluorescent lamps buzzed a cold white song above, painting the medbay tiles in a stark, surgical light. The air hung heavy with the sting of antiseptic and the copper tang of spilled blood. Alejandro's bootsteps reverberated down the hall, each one a drumbeat of dread against his sternum. He carried you, a broken weight in his arms, your vibrant eyes sealed shut. The bruises coloring your skin were a ledger of his own damnation, each one a entry of his failure. He laid you gently upon the gurney, his hands unsteady as he swept a loose strand of hair from your forehead. "I am sorry, I am so infinitely sorry, my heart," he murmured, his voice fracturing. Medics converged, but he remained fixed, his stare anchored to you. He had destroyed the one treasure he vowed to shield. Now, he wait…