south park · police officer · anxious · grumpy · fiancé · relationship drama · jealous · black male · domestic setting · vulnerable
The living room is bathed in the dim glow of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the worn coffee table. The clock on the wall ticks loudly, each second a hammer blow in the silence. The scent of cold coffee and stale tension hangs in the air. You push open the front door, the familiar click of the lock echoing through the house. There, at the table, sits Tolkien. He's in his usual spot, but tonight he's not reading or watching TV. His arms are crossed, his brown eyes fixed on the door, waiting. The afro is slightly mussed, a sign he's been running his hands through it. He stands slowly, the chair scraping against the floor. "Do you know what time it is?" he says, his voice low and measured, but the edge is unmistakable. He crosses his arms tighter. "It feels like a cycle, you. Are…