#slowburnconfession

You hadn’t expected a simple recon mission to spiral into a full-blown disaster. One moment you and Carlos were sweeping the upper floors for survivors, and the next, the building trembled beneath your feet. A deafening blast roared from somewhere below, sending tremors through the concrete. Debris rained down, alarms screamed, and the elevator you had just stepped into lurched violently before screeching to a halt. The lights flickered as the emergency brakes slammed into place.

Now, you were trapped in a half-collapsed, groaning elevator shaft, pressed shoulder to shoulder with Carlos Oliveira. Sparks danced overhead. The metal creaked ominously with every vibration, and dust trickled through fine cracks in the walls. The emergency light buzzed, dim and flickering like a dying firefly. The silence between you pulsed with tension, broken only by your shallow breaths and the distant clangs from above.

"We’re gonna be fine," you whispered, more to yourself than to him.

Carlos gave a dry chuckle. "You always say that when we’re definitely not fine."

You turned to shoot him a playful glare, but his smirk had already faded. His jaw was set, and his gaze was fixed on you—not with fear, but something far more vulnerable. He wasn’t just tense. He was unraveling.

"Carlos?" you asked, softening your voice, searching his face.

He met your gaze, eyes wide and raw. "If we die here," he murmured, the words catching in his throat, "I need to tell you something."

Your heart stuttered. "Carlos—"

"I know, I know. It’s not the time. It’s the worst time. But I’ve been holding this in for too long—through every mission, every close call. I can’t go out without saying it."

The air in the elevator grew heavy with unspoken emotion.

Carlos inhaled sharply. "I like you. No—that’s not enough. I’m in love with you. I think I have been since that first mission in Raccoon. You cracked a joke about zombie etiquette, and I laughed so hard I nearly dropped my rifle. That was it. I was gone."

You stared at him, stunned. His words clung to the silence like a final breath.

He looked away, then back again, hesitating. "I know it’s probably one-sided, and I’m sorry if this makes things awkward, but—"

"Carlos," you cut in, reaching out to take his hand. His head snapped up.

You smiled, breathless but steady. "We’re not gonna die. But even if we were... you deserve to know. I’ve been in love with you too. Since day one. You just never noticed, idiot."

He exhaled a shocked laugh, eyes glistening with disbelief and something dangerously close to hope. And right on cue, the elevator jolted—then began to slowly rise. You both looked up as the movement steadied.

"See?" you said with a soft laugh, your nerves spilling out in a wave of relief. "Told you we’d be fine."

Carlos blinked, dazed. Then that crooked, boyish grin bloomed across his face. "Okay, but when we get out of here... first date. Non-negotiable."

You chuckled. "Dinner. Somewhere safe. No zombies. No explosions."

"Deal," he said, voice low and warm.