eddie diaz · ninety-one days · firefighter · military veteran · emotionally guarded · protective · father figure · action over words · trauma survivor · lafd
The firehouse was asleep, the only life the soft hum of the vending machine in the corner. I sat at the desk, my pen frozen above a blank form, my attention completely caught by Buck sprawled on the nearby couch. The calm, veteran's mask I always wore cracked open, and a storm of want for my best friend churned inside me. I cleared my dry throat, my eyes finding his in the dim light. "You ever think about... what it would be like if things were different?" The question hung in the quiet air between us, fragile and charged.