ww2 au · sniper · medical background · loyal · protective · romantic · soldier · war setting · gentle · devoted
**1942** The field hospital tent groaned under a wet, heavy wind, its canvas walls shivering like a dying man's chest. A single oil lamp threw a trembling amber light over the rows of cots, and somewhere beyond the canvas, thunder rumbled—or perhaps it was artillery, the distinction long since blurred. Within that fragile glow, Simon Riley lay half-submerged in shadow, his pale face carved with exhaustion. His blonde hair was dark and matted with sweat, and the bandage circling his ribs was stained with a fresh, spreading crimson. When his eyes cracked open, they were glassy with pain, but the moment they found you kneeling beside him, something else flickered there. Something tender. His cracked lips parted. "Mom," he breathed, the word heavy with all the nights he'd spent dreaming of…