He was the son of the great psychologist Dr. Jason Bull, renowned trial consultant and owner of Trial Analysis Corporation.
Danny Bull was used to watching. His earliest memories were of him watching his father, trying to figure out what made his mind tick the way it did. The way a person could cough and his father would deduce that that person was cheating on their spouse. How his father would presume a persons sexually by their stride he'd seen for a split second. All Danny wanted to know was how his father came to those conclusions; something that proved much more difficult to when Jason Bull was the epitome of no signals. Most kids could see the moment their father was angry or joyful, but not him. He had to sit and watch his father for nearly three hours just to figure out if he was annoyed or mildly annoyed.
"Danny! Good to see you. Long time no see! Danny!" Snapping out of his trance, Danny looks up to see Ms. Morgan watching him carefully from where he sits in the corner of the office, ear buds wedged snugly in his ear canals while he stared at his laptop screen. Slamming the computer shut, he pulls the ear buds out of his ears and forces a smile onto his lips. He'd known the woman since he was little, and she'd proven an equal adversary when it came to cracking the Jason Bull code.
"Hi."
"What're you up to?"
"Classes." She cocks her head, slanting her brow, her lips becoming thin as she places a hand on her hip while the other is placed carefully onto the glass table next to her; slanting her weight onto it ever so slightly.
"Listen Danny. I know your not my biggest fan, but this is a loosing battle. I've worked with your father longer than you've been alive; you can't crack his code."
"I can try. I wouldn't be his son if I didn't try to figure people out. Especially him."
"Well I know for sure that he wouldn't want you to throw away your life trying to figure him out."
"I'm not giving up yet." Rolling her eyes, she grabs her tablet before strutting away, leaving him on the floor. She knows that's Danny is a genius, almost more intelligent than his own father; he would be if he actually focused on anything accept cracking the damn 'Jason Bull' code. At sixteen years old he'd already gotten a Bachelors and Masters degree and had begun his M.D. How she put up with the Bull boys she'd never know.
"We have a client coming in soon Dr. Bull." Walking into his office, his gaze is fixated on that of the morning crossword; a ritual that was done every morning to the tee.
"Lovely. You don't happen to know if they're bringing their lawyers do you?" He doesn't even bother to look up as he mentally times himself, trying to get his best time yet.
"You know that they almost always do." She places the file carefully onto his desk and he finally looks up from his puzzle that he'd just completed.
"I hate lawyers." As she begins to leave something stops her, causing her to pivot on her heel and face him once again.
"Did you know your son was coming in today?"
"Is he...?"
"I think it might be beneficial if you were to include him on this case."
"Sure, Yes." He waves her off as his nose becomes attached to the top of the file for the next three or so hours, (his average time spent previewing a case.)
Exiting his office exactly three hours, four minutes, and twelve seconds later he considers himself briefed enough knowing that his team will have handled everything else that's needed to be done. Walking through the sad excuse of an office he immediately realizes something's off. He'd memories that room- no. The entire building down to the smallest detail. It took him a moment to realize it was in fact his very own flesh and blood wedged in a corner typing furiously on his stupid laptop that was the thing nagging him. Remembering what Marissa had brought up earlier he b lines in the direction, veering from his original course. Before he'd even within five feet of the teenager, Danny's already on his feet waiting to greet him.
"Danny, don't you have class today?"
"The school had a program written for me since I typically go through courses at a seventy five percent increased rate compared to everyone else. Do you want me to leave?" He can see the visually anticipation coming from the overly enthusiastic teenager. Why this kid payed so much attention to him, he could never figure out. He and Danny had always been at odds, never being able to read each other. Bull was completely aware of how hard his son tried to understand him, but he wished he would stop. At some point they'd need to just accept the fact that they weren't meant to have a close relationship. And to be frank, having this kid watch him all the time made him, of all people, uncomfortable.
"Well if you have the time, I could use some help on a case today."
"Really?" Danny's heart skipped a beat as he heard the words come out of his dad's mouth. Besides trying to figure the man out, he wanted to get into the work. Get to experience the rush that his father did every time he stopped an innocent person from rotting in jail their entire life.
"Yep."
"What's the case?"
"Attempted Murder. Here's the file. You have ten minutes to know the victim like the back of your hand." Danny takes the Manila folder tightly and watches in shock as his father walks away. As soon as the elder Bull is out of sight, he immediately is devouring the file that head been given. Ten minutes. He had ten minutes to prove his worth to his father.
Name: Marie Louise Margaret
Age: 15
Height: 5'4
He flies through the basic details before getting to the medical and then onto her original police reports. His eyes widen as he finishes, reading the entire file.
"It's go time!" Chunk shouts excitedly as he runs through the office with just as much enthusiasm. A few seconds after he disappears, Morgan walks in leading an army of lawyers. Within the herd, Danny catches a glimpse of fair skin and long, wavy, dirty blonde hair.
Out of nowhere a hand wraps itself around his bicep and pulls him across the room to the group of lawyers. It takes Danny about thirty two seconds to realize that it's his father; just in time for the loud crack to echo through the room, pain register on the back of his head, and watch as the client stifles a laugh as he massages the spot he'd been hit.
"I apologize about my son. Ms. Margaret, but you're in the best of hands here."
"T-Thank you Dr. Bull. I know these kinds of cases don't typically require your kind of expertise, but when the man who tried to have you killed is running for senate you don't typically catch attention."
"Well I guarantee you that my son will make sure that you're not ignored."
"M-Me?" Danny is silenced by the stern look and twitch of his fathers hand. The very hand that had cracked him across the back of the head just a few seconds ago.
"Uh... I mean it's a pleasure to work with you Ms. Margaret." They shack hands quickly, embarrassed to have made such a huge fool of himself before anything had begun.
"Call me Marie. 'Ms. Margaret' is too formal."
"Of course. Shall we begin?"
