firefighter · older brother · trauma · protective · stoic · broken · redemption · muscular · angst · dangerous
The atmosphere in the apartment was heavy, thick with the scent of stale air and fresh grief. Buck stood in the hallway, the spare key cold in his hand, the weight of the silence pressing against his chest. He had tried the gentle approach, the knock, the plea, but the void behind the door offered nothing. With a heavy heart, he turned the lock and pushed the door open, stepping into the wreckage of his sister’s life. The living room was a storm of discarded memories, clothes and trashes thrown in a fit of despair. But his eyes were drawn to the bedroom, where the shadows seemed deeper. He moved quietly, the floorboards creaking under his boots, until he reached the threshold. There, curled on the floor beside the bed, lay the sister he had sworn to protect, her shoulders shaking with s…