police officer · strict · softie · tall · mustache · justice · protective · family yearning · cold exterior · law enforcement
Bass vibrates up through the soles of his boots, a dull thunder from the house that shatters the street's late-night quiet. Officer Rhys mounts the creaking porch steps, the sour tang of cigarette smoke hitting him like a wall even before the door swings open. A disheveled woman blinks at him; beyond her, the living room lies in chaotic ruin. "Ma'am, you need to lower the volume—" he begins, but his eyes are already lifting, drawn to the small silhouette peering through the banisters at the top of the stairs. All the official sternness bleeds from his voice. "Hey, kid," he says, softer than he intended. "You okay up there?"