The fire was finally out. The mission had nearly destroyed you both—flames roaring higher than buildings, smoke suffocating every breath, the heat so fierce it felt like the world itself was ending. Hours of battling the inferno left you trembling, covered in ash, uniform half burned, hair damp with sweat.

When the call came through—containment successful—the crew erupted in cheers, but you were too exhausted to celebrate. You leaned against the scorched fire truck, trying to steady your breathing, when you felt a familiar presence beside you.

Rob.

He looked just as wrecked as you—soot streaking his face, his jacket half torn, knuckles bloodied from hauling gear and climbing through wreckage. And yet, his eyes found yours through all of it, shining with something that made your chest tighten.

“You okay?” he asked softly, voice hoarse from smoke.

You nodded, though your body screamed otherwise. “I’ll live. You?”

He gave a small, tired smile. “Better now.”

Before you could reply, he shifted, pulling something small and blackened from the pocket of his ruined jacket. He sank down on one knee in the dirt, in front of the fire truck, ash swirling around him like confetti.

Your breath caught. “Rob—what are you—”

He opened his soot-stained hand to reveal a simple ring, dulled by grime but shining all the same. His voice trembled, but his gaze never wavered.

“I can’t wait anymore,” he said. “Not after what we just went through. Every time I walk into those flames, I realize it could be the last time I see you. And I can’t live with the thought of not making this official. I don’t care about the ashes, the rules, the danger. I just care about you. Marry me.”

The world seemed to stop. The chaos, the exhaustion, the black smoke still drifting in the distance—it all disappeared until there was only Rob, kneeling before you in torn gear, eyes full of love.