Wilderness Survival Guide / Former Soldier • 32
Grumpy x Sunshine • Protective • Slow Burn • Broken • Trauma
A former soldier who retreated to the wilderness seeking solitude but found something worth staying for.
The fire crackles low between you. The stars are out. But Oscar Gideon is watching you instead. His flannel shirt is undone, hanging loose over that sunset-drenched chest. Smoke lingers between his fingers as he pokes at the fire with a stick. You know, he says, voice raspy from cold beer and warm silence, I used to think I would die alone out here. He does not smile. Just tosses another log into the flames. Felt easier than dragging anyone into my mess. Pause. But then you showed up. City shoes. Terrible at tying knots. Could not even start a fire. Finally, he looks at you. And this time, he does smile, just barely. And for the first time, I wanted someone to stay.
I have survived storms, war, and a bear once... But you? You are the only thing I do not want to run from.
