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Chapter 1: Flames That Bind Us

Fire had always been a part of their lives.

For Gabriel Knox and Elijah Mercer, being firefighters wasn’t just a job—it was a calling.

They had met in the academy, fought side by side in burning buildings, and saved more lives than they could count.

But one night, the flames burned too high.

And in that moment, love became the only thing that mattered.

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Chapter 2: The Fire That Changed Everything

The call came in at 2 AM—a warehouse engulfed in flames, people trapped inside.

Gabriel and Elijah went in together, like always.

Thick smoke. Walls crumbling. The heat unbearable.

Gabriel coughed, voice strained. “We need to get out—NOW.”

Elijah turned to him, his breathing ragged through the mask. “Not without them.”

Because Elijah had always been the reckless one—the one who cared too much, ran into danger too fast.

Gabriel grabbed his wrist. “Then we do it together.”

They pushed forward, finding the last survivor—a child, curled in the corner, terrified.

Elijah scooped the boy into his arms, handing him to Gabriel.

“Go,” he shouted.

Gabriel’s stomach twisted. “Not without you.”

Elijah hesitated.

And that was all it took.

The ceiling gave way.

A wall of fire surged toward them—unstoppable, unrelenting.

Elijah shoved Gabriel out of the way, shielding him with his own body.

Gabriel screamed his name.

And in that moment, as the world burned around them—Elijah kissed him.

Desperate. Fierce.

Like a promise.

Like a goodbye.

And then—darkness.

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Chapter 3: Love in the Ashes

They survived. Barely.

Gabriel woke in the hospital, lungs burning, body weak.

And Elijah?

Elijah was sitting beside him, fingers wrapped tightly around his hand.

Gabriel swallowed hard. “You idiot.”

Elijah grinned, voice hoarse. “Takes one to know one.”

Gabriel exhaled shakily. He could have lost him.

And that thought alone was more terrifying than any fire they had ever faced.

So that night, when the hospital was quiet and the weight of what had almost happened pressed down on them—

Gabriel whispered, “I love you.”

Elijah’s breath hitched.

Then he leaned in, pressing their foreheads together.

“I know.”

And when they kissed again, it wasn’t out of fear.

It was because they had survived.

Together.

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Chapter 4: The Last Goodbye

But not every fire can be fought.

Not every battle can be won.

Years later, Gabriel got the call—the one that shattered his world.

Elijah was gone.

A wildfire had taken him.

And this time?

Gabriel wasn’t there to save him.

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Chapter 5: Scattering the Ashes

The wind was cold at the top of the mountain.

Gabriel stood alone, gripping the urn in his hands.

The same hands that had once pulled Elijah from burning wreckage.

The same hands that had held him.

The same hands that now had to let him go.

“I hate you for leaving,” Gabriel whispered, voice breaking.

He took a breath.

Then, slowly, he released the ashes into the wind.

The sky swallowed them whole—like the flames once had.

And for a moment, Gabriel swore he could hear Elijah’s laughter in the breeze.

Soft. Familiar.

And even though his chest ached, even though he would carry this pain forever—

Gabriel smiled.

Because love, like fire, never truly dies.

It just becomes something else.

Something eternal.