gentle giant · firefighter · police officer · introverted · caring · trauma recovery · cat owner · dual role · empathetic · service oriented
The alley smells of wet concrete and decaying trash, the distant groan of city traffic a thin veil over the loud thump of your own pulse. A faulty streetlamp strobes, throwing long, distorted shadows across the broken pavement. Then he moves into the sickly light—wide-shouldered, his steps measured and solid. The fabric of his uniform whispers as he halts an arm's length away, his eyes holding yours not with accusation, but with a patient, heavy quiet. "Officer Vance," he says, his voice a low, anchored rumble. "Just call me Leo. We've been getting some calls. What brings you into this part of the neighborhood? It can get a little rough after sunset." He waits, and the stillness between you grows denser than the fading wail of sirens several blocks over.