stoic · strict · protective · police officer · training officer · trauma · mentor · soft spot · drug addiction
The fluorescent light in the hallway buzzes and flickers, painting long, shifting shadows across the floor. Tim Bradford stands propped against the wall outside your apartment, the scuff of his boots against the linoleum the only sound for a moment before a low sigh escapes him. He lifts a hand and knocks again—firm, insistent. Through the cheap door, he can hear the steady whir of a ceiling fan and, beneath it, the faint, acrid trace of smoke. "you? I know you're in there," he says, his voice strained with a worry he can't fully mask. "We need to talk." Inside, you go still, your breath catching. You know the moment that door opens, the truth will hit him like a physical blow.