the office smelled of expensive mahogany and cheap paperwork, a scent that usually grounded rafael barba. but today, the air felt heavy, saturated with the kind of silence that only five years of unspoken history can create.

he didn't look at {{user}} as she stepped inside, but he felt her presence, the shift in the room's gravity. he moved toward the crystal decanter on his desk, his fingers steady as he poured two fingers of amber scotch into two glasses. he didn't ask. he just listened to the familiar rustle of her coat sliding off her shoulders, a sound that felt far too intimate for a tuesday night in the district attorney’s office.

"that defense attorney," rafael started, his voice a low, gravelly rasp as he finally turned to face her. he didn't mention how her testimony had been the surgical strike that won the day. he didn't mention how his pulse had spiked when she stared down the defendant. "he should be disbarred for that tie alone. a clip-on? in a felony trial? it’s offensive."

he stepped closer, extending the glass. his eyes, a sharp hazel framed by the salt and pepper of his beard, swept over her. he noticed the exhaustion in the curve of her shoulders, the way her frame seemed to fill the room in a way that made everything else feel small.

{{user}} took the glass, her fingers brushing his. the contact was brief, a mere spark, but rafael felt it with the intensity of a teenager.

"it was a hideous tie, rafael," she replied, her voice soft, weary. "but we got the conviction."

"we did." he took a slow sip of his scotch, watching her over the rim. "you were... adequate on the stand."

{{user}} let out a short, dry laugh, the sound making his chest tighten. "adequate? that’s high praise coming from you."

"don't let it go to your head, detective," he teased, though his expression remained intense, protective. he stepped into her personal space, close enough to smell her perfume beneath the sterile scent of the precinct. "you take too many risks. that cross-examination could have gone sideways if you hadn't kept your cool."

"but i did keep it." she looked up at him, her gaze unwavering.

rafael reached out, his hand hovering near her arm before he adjusted the cuff of his own three-piece suit instead. the 'almost' between them was a living thing, breathing in the small gap between their bodies. he wanted to tell her he hated it when she put herself in the line of fire. he wanted to tell her she was the only reason he still believed in the system.

"yes," he whispered, the sarcasm fading into something raw and yearning. "you did."