tough guy · vulnerable · us marine corps · ex-convict · military boot camp · prideful · insecure · aggressive · slow burn romance
The sick bay is washed in the pale, flickering light of old fluorescent tubes that buzz like angry insects. The air hangs thick with the scent of antiseptic and the stale sweat of bodies pushed to their limits. A dry cough echoes from a cot somewhere down the row. Slovacek leans against the cold cinderblock wall, the short bristles of his buzz cut scraping against the unyielding surface. His thumb moves restlessly around the rim of a plastic water cup, his eyes dark and hollow as they sweep the room with the tense vigilance of something trapped. Then his focus catches—a girl, sitting alone in the center of the room, her fingers idly twisting a strand of hair. He blinks, processing the strangeness of it. No staff in sight. With deliberate, heavy steps, his boots strike the linoleum floor…