Inappropriate
Once Punk had finished up work for the day, doing his best to speed up things a little more now that he knew Dean and Bella had come to see him, he eventually got back to the hotel and they went for dinner. Although he insisted they didn't have to come out, he was glad to see them. It was always nice to see family, especially in the heat of such an intense job.
Once they had dinner, going for pizza on behalf of Bella's request, they then stopped by at a park, also at Bella's request, and Punk finally gave her the gift he'd gotten her.
"What do you say to Uncle Punk for your gift?" Dean looked to Bella, sitting on a bench with Punk whilst Bella stood in front of them having opened up her gift. She collected a brand of gargoyle type ornaments, and Punk had managed to buy her a crystal one for her room, of her favourite character. He was thoughtful when it came to presents… only for Bella.
"Thanks uncle Punk." Bella smiled, handing her father the box her ornament was in and climbing up onto Punk to give him a hug as Punk smiled.
"Hey, my pleasure, sweetheart." Punk smiled, kissing her cheek loudly and giving her a tight squeeze as she giggled, "You can go play on the swings if you like." He told her as she nodded.
"Yeah." Bella nodded to herself, jumping back down from his lap and skipping over to the swings not far away from where they were sitting.
"I'm glad she liked the gift." Punk smiled to himself as he watched her run off to the swings as Dean nodded, putting the ornament back in the gift bag with a smile.
"She's been asking for that for a while now." Dean nodded, "She always loves your presents the best." He said.
"That's probably the only reason she wanted to see me." Punk teased.
"Hey, c'mon." Dean said.
"I'm kidding." Punk told him, "She see her mom this morning?" Punk asked Dean.
"Yeah." Dean nodded, "But you know what it's like with Renee. Working every shift under the sun. She would have come otherwise." He said.
"I figured." Punk said, "You need to take her on vacation soon. She works her ass off in that hospital." He said as Dean nodded.
"I know." He said, "She actually said she was looking forward to a night in the house herself, not to take offence to it but I get what she means. Bella can be a handful." Dean nodded.
"I bet." Punk nodded, "How is mom?" He asked.
"Good." Dean nodded, "Worried about you, though. She thinks you're gonna die of stress one of these days."
"How does she know I'm stressed?" Punk laughed, "I'm fine."
"Are you?" Dean asked.
"Trust me, you'd know if I was stressed." Punk said, "I'm back in court in a few days, it's going to plan, I feel like I'll come away with good results by the end of it." He nodded.
"And then you'll come home and you'll be away again after a few days." Dean said.
"Well, that's just how the business works." Punk shrugged, "I'm used to it. I'm comfortable with it."
"It's a little bit isolated, though. Don't you think?" Dean said, "You're constantly on the move. You never really have time for… family or relationships or friendships." He pointed out.
"I make time for family when I have to." Punk said, "And I don't… I don't do relationships." He shook his head.
"I know you don't." Dean nodded, "What about your house in Chicago? It's barely a house and you… you pay so much for it." He shook his head.
"It's a nice house." Punk shrugged.
"Yeah, that you're never in." Dean said.
"Like I said… it's part of the business and it doesn't bother me." Punk told him as Dean just nodded. He knew better than anyone else that there no convincing Punk. Ever.
"So do you think this case is gonna take the full six weeks?" Dean asked.
"I can't say." Punk shrugged, "I don't know how it'll play out. I'm hoping for it to be cleared up within the four but it could unlikely." He said, "The maid at the hotel I'm staying at, it's her brother who was killed by the drunk driver. I'm defending the drunk driver." Punk said as Dean cringed, "It's messy."
"Not the first time you'd be screamed at by a woman anyway." Dean shrugged, "You remember Debbie Blake in high school?"
"She almost hit me across the head with a brick." Punk shook his head.
"You did… cheat on her with her sister." Dean pointed out as Punk shrugged.
"I was a kid." Punk shook his head, "I don't know what it is about this maid but she's just… there's something about her." He said, "I enjoy talking to her and I don't want to because I know I'm just gonna have to go into court and rip this case apart right in front of her."
"You enjoy talking to her?" Dean laughed a little.
"There's something about her." Punk said.
"Hot?" Dean wondered.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, "No filter too."
"Bonus points." Dean smiled, "Sounds like your type."
"I don't have a type." Punk said.
"Yeah, you do. You always go for the crazy, hot, 'will punch you in the face' chicks." Dean nodded as Punk laughed.
"I don't think I do." Punk defended.
"Mhm." Dean nodded, "Maybe you should ask this maid out for a drink or something? Try and soften her up a little."
"I already offered. She refused. I don't think she can even look at me. I think she was close to her brother and I had to… imply that it was him who had gotten himself killed because he was a paranoid ex-soldier with PTSD." Punk said.
"You really are a dick. Aren't you?" Dean nodded.
"Yeah." Punk nodded.
"So what if she's pissed? You got a job to do. You'll never see her face again after it's all done so… what's the point in getting wound up? It's not like you." Dean said.
"I know." Punk nodded, "I know, I just want it over."
"It will be soon." Dean smiled as Bella ran over to them.
"Uncle Punk, can you push me on the swings please?" Bella asked her uncle.
"Of course I can." Punk smiled, standing up off the bench and heading over to the swings with Bella as she took his hand and spoke to him freely, whilst Dean sat back and watched.
After spending the rest of the cold fall night at the park, Punk bought Bella a hot chocolate and they headed back to the hotel. Bella was getting tired, as was he and Dean, and it seemed time to get to bed, agreeing they would go for breakfast together before Dean and Bella had to catch their flight back to Chicago.
Whilst Dean had headed back to his own room with Bella, Punk headed to his, spotting April walking down the corridor, confused as to why she was at the hotel at this time of night.
"Do you know what time it is?" Punk asked, trying to make a light joke as she just walked straight by him. His instinct was to just ignore it and head into his room, but he refused to be ignored like that, "Hey!" Punk called back, turning around as he watched her pause, "You deaf or something?" He asked as AJ turned around, watching him walk closer to him, "I know you don't like me. In fact, I know you hate me. But I'm doing my job. It's just unfortunate that we had to cross paths, otherwise, there would be no issue. I get that you hate my face, and seeing it every day is hard for you, but I'm not disrespecting you." He made clear. Despite his arrogance, he was raised right, and he was raised with manners, and to respect women.
"You're disrespecting my brother." AJ spat, "I came back for my phone. I forgot it." She explained, raising the phone in her hand as Punk looked in her eyes. They were bloodshot and around the socket was red…
"You've been crying." Punk nodded as she laughed.
"No I haven't." AJ shook her head, "I'm leaving." She told him, turning away as he took a light hold of her arm.
"Are you ok?" He asked her seriously as she looked up at him with confusion, taking her arm from him lightly.
"I'm fine." AJ said, "What is it to you?" She asked.
"Would it surprise you that I'm actually a decent human being?" He said, "I'm not made out of stone."
"Are you sure?" AJ scoffed as he tilted his head, "I did see you with your niece today." She nodded, "She's cute." She added, "I guess you saw her on her birthday after all."
"Yeah." Punk smiled, "Yeah, she's cute alright." Punk smiled, "You're not upset because you have to see me every day?" He wondered.
"No. You're not that much of an impact on my life." AJ scoffed, "Life can just get a little overwhelming sometimes, you know?" She said.
"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, "This isn't me trying to soften you up so I can destroy this case and get it over with but… there's two sachets of hot chocolate in my room. If you need to talk to someone... I'm here." He nodded. She was clearly in some sort of distress, and he wouldn't sleep with the thought of her upset and wandering the streets outside.
"You don't have to-"
"I know but I am." Punk said as she smiled softly.
"Ok." AJ nodded. Hadn't she been upset and taken her pills for the night she would have walked straight by him and out the door, but he was a weakness she was allowing herself to have. It was nice to hear someone tell her they were there to talk to.
"Ok." Punk smiled, turning around and walking to his room as AJ followed, going into his room with him as a place she was so familiar with suddenly became strange.
"You don't have to make me hot chocolate." AJ insisted, watching him go for the kettle.
"I insist." Punk said, switching on the kettle as she just smiled, taking a seat on the end of his bed. She didn't feel like it was right to be in his room, and she certainly didn't feel it was right to seek any sort of comfort in him, especially when he had nothing but a motive to end the case in hopes her brother's killer got away free with no consequences.
"I shouldn't even be here." AJ shook her head.
"Why not?" Punk asked her as he stirred the hot drink around, passing it over to her and taking a seat on the chair across from the bed.
"It's just not right." She concluded.
"I just wanna make sure you're ok." Punk said, "Why were you upset?"
"Why are you nosey?" AJ wondered.
"Says the one who snoops through my room when I'm not here." Punk laughed a little as AJ just rolled her eyes, "Two can play the game."
"I'm not upset." AJ shook her head, "I'm angry." She said truthfully, "I left my phone here and coming back to it tonight I had… I had forty-eight missed called from my mother." AJ shook her head.
"Jesus is she ok?" Punk asked, immediately thinking the worst.
"Oh, she's fine." AJ nodded, "That's the problem." She shook her head, "It happens on a daily basis. Some days there are more calls than other days." She nodded, "Some days there are voice messages too." She nodded.
"Why the hell is she phoning you so much?" Punk asked.
AJ was about to speak further on behalf of her mother's illness, but then she realised that would lead to her own illness being revealed, and for some reason, she didn't want him to know, and she also didn't trust him with that sort of information either, and suddenly she just felt like she was here so he could figure out more about her family, to perhaps use it against the courts.
"Uh… I actually should just go." AJ admitted, sitting her barely drank hot chocolate over on the table as Punk shook his head.
"You've just sat down." Punk stood up.
"I know but it's getting late and it just seems… inappropriate." She admitted, walking to the room door. For a minute, she was so lost in him and his condolence that she could have just fell back on the comfortable bed and listened to him tell her it'd be ok.
"It's not inappropriate, April." Punk shook his head, "I just wanna make sure you're ok." He said sincerely.
"I'm fine." AJ nodded, "Thank you for… showing interest." She said, opening up the hotel door, "But I need to go." She said. She hadn't opened up to someone in a long time, and she didn't trust him, and she also didn't know him. Yet, talking to him, she felt like she did.
"April, are you sure you're ok?" He asked with concern at her rushing off.
"I'm ok. I promise." She nodded, "Goodnight." She said, briskly leaving the room as Punk sighed to himself.
A/N: Let me know what you think!
