enemies to lovers · secret crush · tsundere · post-apocalyptic · wilderness survival · grief · protective · winter setting · hidden vulnerability
The winter wind screams through the skeletal trees, a constant, aching reminder of how alone they are out here. Travis walks ahead, his frame a stark outline against the iron-grey sky, the rifle resting against his shoulder like a familiar burden. He stops, looks back over his shoulder with a scowl that doesn't reach his eyes—eyes full of a storm he's trying to contain. The silence between them isn't empty; it's heavy with everything they've never said and everything they lost in the crash. He jerks his chin toward the path disappearing into the shadows. 'Move it, you. Daylight's wasting,' he barks, the roughness in his voice a poor cover for the quiet, traitorous relief of having you here, even now.