Blackquill had first met Fulbright shortly after moving into his new office. The older man had run in shouting "In justice we trust!" while whipping out his badge. All that had earned from the young prosecutor was a raised eyebrow and a wry smile.
"And just who are you supposed to be?" he asked, only a slight tone hinting that he was joking.
The hint, however, seemed to go right over the other's head. "I'm Detective Bobby Fulbright!" he said by way of introduction. "Assigned to Prosecutor Blackquill, sir." He grinned and Blackquill found himself doing the same.
"Very well, detective," he replied, walking around his desk to shake the man's hand. "Tell me, how much field experience do you have?"
"I've never led an investigation, if that's what you're asking," Fulbright responded sheepishly. "I was just promoted, sir." He couldn't keep the grin from creeping back onto his face.
Blackquill nodded at him. "Then we'll be learning together." He place a hand on the detective's shoulder and guided him to the desk, where an assortment of case files lay spread out. "We have our pick for our first case. Nothing too spectacular, but enough to get our feet wet and learn the ropes." He gestured to the files, inviting Fulbright to read through them. "I have my thoughts about which ones to take, but I'd be curious to hear yours, Fulbright."
The detective nodded as he flipped the files open and began to skim them. It wasn't long until he'd reached his decision. "This one," he said, handing the file to Blackquill.
"Interesting," the prosecutor murmured, curiosity plain on his face. "Why this one?"
Fulbright grinned. "It's where justice most needs to be served."
–
Weeks later, while filling out paperwork, Blackquill received a phone call.
"My sister," he grumbled after hanging up, "is incorrigible."
"What do you mean?" Fulbright asked, pausing his efforts on the paper he'd been working on.
Blackquill sighed and ran a hand through his short dark hair. "She wants me to look after Athena tonight so she can go on a date. I told her we were swamped with paperwork, but she wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Athena's your niece?"
"Not exactly," the prosecutor replied. "Her mother is Metis Cykes, the woman I'm studying psychology from." He paused. "Also the woman my sister is currently dating."
"Ah." was the only response.
"Mmm," Blackquill murmured absently. "So that's my plan to work overtime tonight in tatters."
"What if I went with you?" Fulbright found himself offering. "That way maybe you'd get a chance to work."
Blackquill raised an eyebrow and gave the detective a long look. After a while he said, "You have no idea what you're getting into." Fulbright just stared at him. "Athena is...special. She can hear emotional discord from speech and it's very overwhelming for her." He gave the detective a sharp glance. "And she will drag your secrets out, will you or no."
Fulbright's features displayed his curiosity. "What-" he began.
"I had to tell her I wouldn't be her fairytale prince when she was older. ...I'm...bisexual, leaning almost exclusively towards men," the prosecutor admitted, cheeks rapidly turning red.
The detective just nodded, too shocked by the sudden announcement to speak.
"I'm only saying this so you understand what taking care of Athena means. She has headphones to suppress her ability, but she hates wearing them. So when she's at home she's at full power," Blackquill explained softly, his face only starting to cool.
"Sounds like a handful," Fulbright murmured.
"Quite," Blackquill answered, a smile creeping across his lips.
A grin broke onto the detective's face. "Then you need all the help you can get!" And the prosecutor found he couldn't help but return the smile.
–
"Simon!" The little girl shrieked with joy as she ran into the young man's arms. "You haven't been here in forever," she admonished. "I thought you'd forgotten me."
"Never, my little princess," he said, smiling as he embraced her. "I've merely been busy settling into my office."
She grinned up at him. "Good," she declared firmly. Her eyebrow raised as she spotted the detective hovering in the doorway. "H-hello?"
Blackquill realized he'd almost forgotten about Fulbright. "Ah," he said. "This is-"
"Detective Bobby Fulbright," the older man said by way of introduction as he knelt before the young girl. "At your service, milady." Athena giggled at the attention.
"So then you must be Simon's...?" she asked.
"Assigned police partner," Blackquill answered. "And friend." The detective's face lit up like a beacon at that.
It was at this point that Metis Cykes decided to enter the room. "Simon, how have you been?" she inquired, a soft smile on her lips.
"Quite well. Fulbright and I have been settling in nicely." He glanced over at the detective, who was already engaged in a vibrant conversation with Athena.
"That's good," Metis replied. "Thanks for taking care of Athena on such short notice."
"It's no trouble, really."
"Anyway, I should get going," she continued, donning her jacket. "Goodbye, you three. It was a pleasure to meet you, detective." And with that she was gone.
–
Bringing Fulbright along had been a wise decision, Blackquill decided. Athena had warmed up to him immediately and they got along almost terrifyingly well. As he watched them he realized that the detective was almost comedic in how straight forward his emotions were, making him perhaps an ideal companion for the girl who could hear people's hearts.
"Now you try," Fulbright instructed as he handed his police badge to Athena.
"In justice we trust!" she shouted, grinning from ear to ear.
Yes, bringing Fulbright had been a good decision.
–
It wasn't long before Athena's bedtime loomed over them. Simon took the tired girl from the detective, cradled her in his arms, and carried her to bed.
"You should bring Bobby more often," Athena decided as the prosecutor tucked her in.
"Very well, my little princess," he said smiling. "Goodnight."
"Night," she replied. And with that he left the room.
He found Fulbright slumped into the couch, jacket long-discarded, but tie newly pulled askew. Blackquill felt a smirk creep across his lips. "Tired?" he asked, joining the other man on the couch.
The detective turned his head towards him. "She's a sweet girl." He took a deep breath and then slowly let it out. "But she certainly has a lot of energy."
Simon grinned openly. "So Athena managed to even wear you out? You must be older than I thought," he teased.
Fulbright pouted. "I'm only twenty-six," he protested weakly.
"I was teasing, Fulbright," the prosecutor replied. He rested his arm along the back of the couch and lay his hand on the other man's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Thank you, for helping me with Athena."
"You're welcome," Fulbright responded, flashing a tired smile. "And you can call me Bobby."
Blackquill nodded. "Very well, Bobby," he said softly, testing the name. The detective's face lit up. They held each other's gaze silently for a few moments before Blackquill broke them apart. "We should try to get some of this paperwork done." He sighed. "Oh, and you can call me Simon."
Time passed as they slowly made progress on the small stack of papers. Blackquill didn't even notice how much time until a weight fell onto his shoulder. A glance revealed the detective was fast asleep and his head had fallen to lean against the prosecutor. Furthermore Fulbright was still wearing his glasses. Blackquill sighed, took the glasses from the detective's face, folded them, and placed them on the table.
"Fool," Simon murmured fondly. "You should have said something." The only response was half-formed sleep talking.