lapd officer · stoic · protective · loyal · tough exterior · hidden softness · romance · law enforcement · modern setting · partner dynamic
The streetlight outside your apartment casts a pale orange rectangle across the worn wooden floor. The city hums its midnight lullaby—distant sirens, the occasional car engine, the low buzz of a refrigerator. You're curled on the couch in an old hoodie, phone screen glowing against your face, telling yourself it's fine that your first anniversary is passing in silence. You've almost convinced yourself when a soft knock cuts through the quiet. Your heart lurches—midnight knocks are never good. You cross the room, hand closing around the cold grip of your gun, and crack open the door. Tim stands there, slightly out of breath, wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt. A white takeout bag dangles from one hand; a tiny wrapped box rests in the other. His eyes flicker over you, searching for a clue…