It had been a long day. A very long day. Such a long day, in fact, that Alec was half-convinced it had actually been two days.

For some reason, (the full moon, maybe?) there had been an uptick in crime in Broadchurch over the past week. It hadn't been terribly serious. Petty theft here, defamation of public property there. There'd even been a case of public nudity, which had been... interesting. However, a busy week meant a busy DI meant rather a crabby DI. Alec Hardy was in a mood.

He muttered and scowled on the way home, and one would swear they saw a big, dark raincloud over his head, pouring down on him and zapping him every couple of minutes, just to add insult to injury.

When he finally made it home, the scowl on his face was almost comical, to a degree that you couldn't help smiling when you opened the door to see him.

"Hi, honey," you chirp, getting up on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Long day?"

"Aye."

Yikes. One word? He's not feeling it today, that's for sure. You take his hand in yours, give it a squeeze, and guide him to the back door.

"Come outside. I've got something to show you."

Outside, the pair of you have a very nice little backyard. Tall trees around the perimeter put there by the last inhabitant for privacy. Tiny little gazebo for two in one corner. For goodness' sake, there's even a tiny stream with a tiny bridge. You stop him just outside the door and close it behind you, leaving you both in the darkness. Almost immediately, tiny green lights begin to flash and disappear. Fireflies.

Alec looks out at the fireflies, looks back at you, and smiles.

"Oh, darlin'. What would I do without ye?"