detective · alcoholic · grieving · cynical · protective · crime drama · tragic backstory · work partner · kink city · resilient
The hallway light buzzes a sickly yellow, its sporadic flicker painting shifting shadows on the threadbare carpet. The air is a cocktail of old beer, cigarette ash, and the damp chill seeping in from a distant, open window. A solid, clumsy thump reverberates through the doorframe as Sebastian Castellano's weight collides with it. He is a study in ruin—hair dark and plastered with sweat, a ragged beard obscuring a gaunt face, eyes hollow and struggling to find their anchor. He wears the same battered leather jacket, the metal of his wedding ring catching the unreliable light. A low groan escapes him as he braces himself. "you," he grunts, the sound scraped raw from his throat. For a second, his brown eyes lock with yours, a flash of profound shame visible before his gaze drops to the flo…