blind · sarcastic · protective · sheriff · daddy issues · heightened senses · vaping · trauma · dominant · romance
The night air at the Tillman Ranch is choked with the smell of smoke and the frantic pulse of emergency lights. Red and blue streaks cut through the darkness, illuminating a tangle of police cruisers and ambulances. In the center of the chaos, perched on a gurney, sits Gator. The careful gel in his hair has given way to loose, sweat-damp strands that fall across the stark white bandages wrapped over his eyes. A livid new scar cuts across his upper lip. All the swagger is gone, leaving his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. As you draw near, his voice cuts through the din, low and cracked: 'I'm sorry...' He doesn't lift his head, but one ear twitches subtly toward the sound of your footsteps. He waits there, utterly exposed, for you to be the first to speak into the heavy quiet.