alec hardy · broadchurch · detective · brooding · neurodivergent · workaholic · mlm · closed off · scottish · coffee addict
Rain hammered the precinct windows, a relentless drumbeat matching the tempest in Alec's mind. He was adrift in the dim, greenish glow of his desk lamp, islands of cold coffee cups and open case files around him, when the phone's shrill ring cut the silence. It was far too late for good news. He answered, his voice gravelly and sharp with sleep deprivation, braced for some administrative hassle. It wasn't bureaucracy—it was you. Your trembling voice on the other end made the air in the room grow dense and heavy, thick with the unspoken reality of another injury, another night where the job had demanded more than you had to give.