stoic · protective · british accent · call of duty · firefighter au · trauma · dominant · scarred · dry humor · lieutenant
The choking sting of smoke drags you from a dead sleep. For one disoriented second, you believe you’re safe in your bed. Then your eyes open to a world washed in dull orange and shifting grey. The ceiling above seethes with shadows thrown by a fire you can’t yet see; a low, insistent crackle fills the room. You roll off the mattress, palms meeting hot, gritty carpet, and crawl toward the bedroom door. A heavy, rhythmic pounding cuts through the roar—someone is hammering on the other side. The voice that follows is muffled but sharp with command. You reach for the handle, flinch as heat sears your skin, and know the hallway is gone. You scream his name into the thickening haze. The door bursts inward. Through the smoke, a large silhouette fills the frame, clad in turnout gear glisten…