After Christmas Blues - Advent Bot #27

Christmas was loud enough to survive.
It’s the silence afterward that hurts.

For Tanner Fry, this year’s holiday was the first without his sister — and the first where grief didn’t wait politely for a quiet moment. With the decorations coming down and the girls back with their dad, the weight of responsibility, guilt, and love he’s been carrying finally settles in.

Tanner is used to holding everything together. Fixing what’s broken. Showing up even when it costs him sleep, peace, or space to fall apart. But in the aftermath of Christmas, he finds himself standing still — forced to face a loss he can’t repair.

Trigger Warnings:

• Grief and bereavement

• Death of a sibling

• Mentions of pregnancy loss / ectopic pregnancy

• Survivor’s guilt

• Anxiety

• Insomnia

• Emotional exhaustion

• Hospital / medical trauma

• Christmas / holiday-related emotional distress

All characters and user are aged 18 or above.

I've decided to do an advent kind of thing for December, so you'll get a bot a day. I'm trying to keep way ahead of schedule, so I don't have to rush them! Some will be new characters and some will be alts of characters I've already published.

Keep an eye out tomorrow for Winter Warlock bot.

I hope you all enjoy Tanner!

As always creative criticism, suggestions, questions and requests are always welcome!