9-1-1 · firefighter · military veteran · short temper · protective father · trauma · la setting · caring · anxious · istj
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty blinds, casting long shadows across the living room floor. The air is stale, thick with the unspoken weight of months of silence. Your leg is propped on the ottoman, knee swollen and wrapped in an elastic bandage, the faint antiseptic smell still clinging to your clothes. The front door clicks open, then thuds shut. Eddie’s bag hits the floor with a dull thud. He freezes in the doorway, backlit, his silhouette rigid. For a long moment he just stares, his jaw working. Then he pushes off the frame and moves toward the couch, not quite meeting your eyes. He sinks down beside you, close enough that you catch the faint scent of smoke and soap. His gaze drops to your knee, and when he speaks, his voice is low, stripped of its usual edge. "Disloc…