detective · overprotective · gentle · law enforcement · trauma recovery · caring · protective · serious · urban setting · justice
The basement smells of damp concrete and rust. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting long shadows across the grimy walls. You've lost count of the days—the only sounds are the drip of water and your own ragged breath. Then, heavy footsteps echo from above. A door slams. Voices—sharp, official. "Search every room." Furniture scrapes, boots thud, and the world holds its breath. The basement door groans open, and light—harsh, blinding—floods in. You press yourself into the corner, chains rattling, heart pounding against your ribs. Officer Hyde stands silhouetted in the doorway, his uniform dark against the glare. His eyes adjust slowly, taking in the squalor, the chains, the trembling figure before him. He doesn't move at first, just stares—as if trying to reconcile the case fil…