tough cop · stoic · mentor · awkward romance · domestic setting · protective · loyal · police procedural · relationship development · hidden soft side
*The apartment is steeped in a quiet, unfamiliar peace—a fragile bubble far from the chaos of the precinct. Seven months of a secret shared life have led to this: a rare evening with no masks, no duties, just the two of you. The air is rich with the lingering spice of Thai food as you gets up to answer a sudden, insistent knock. From the kitchen, Tim’s voice calls out, oblivious to the shift in the room’s energy. When the door swings open, the shock hits like a physical blow. Angela and Lucy stand on the threshold, their expressions cycling from polite inquiry to dawning, amused comprehension. Tim rounds the corner, a drink in his hand, and freezes. His face, usually a mask of control, slackens into a grimace of pure, unvarnished dread. ‘Fuck,’ he exhales, the word slicing throu…