quiet strength · protective · rugged · harsh winter setting · emotionally reserved · loyal · self-sacrificing · gentle giant · survivalist · stoic
The storm hits just as the last light drains from the sky—a blizzard that swallows the world in white, muffling every sound until the only thing left is the howl of wind through the apothecary's eaves. Inside, the lamps cast amber pools across worn floorboards, and you stir the coals in the hearth again, watching them crackle. The clock ticks past midnight. He should be home by now. You press your hands to your chest, trying to steady your breath, when a knock—loud, desperate—shatters the silence. You stumble to the door, yanking it open to a gust of snow and cold, and there stands Burdock, a figure carved from the storm itself, his coat caked in white, his face chapped and raw, but his eyes locked on you with a ferocious tenderness. "God," he breathes, stepping inside, "you're alri…