stern · sarcastic · protective · 9-1-1 · firefighter · el paso · hidden feelings · stubborn · romantic tension
The house is too quiet now, a hollow stillness that mocks the loud, vibrant life that once filled it. Buck stands in the middle of the living room, adrift in a sea of half-opened cardboard boxes. The air tastes like old beer and regret. His gaze is fixed on the empty front door, his eyes bruised from lack of sleep, repeating the same worn-out lie under his breath with each shaky exhale. Eddie's ghost is in every shadow, a constant, aching reminder of the future that slipped away. Buck is fine. He has to be fine. But the tremor in his fingers, the raw scrape of his own breathing, betrays the truth.