The rain wasn't letting up as they crossed the bridge back to San Francisco, the wipers of the Galaxy barely able to keep up, even at slow speeds. After the initial discussion about the results of the interview with Jason Roberts; their drive had been spent in mutual silence, as both detectives carefully analyzed the preliminary information coming in.
A seemingly normal household from afar, the Roberts' children did appear to be a bit odd in their own way. A deep yearning for freedom of mind and body on Sarah's side, and a downright pathological interest in death on Luther's made for an interesting combination of characters between siblings. A somewhat controlling father on top of it and a mother they yet had to meet only added to the mystery.
Barring any speculations, it was safe to say that Martha Roberts had to be rather fascinating in her own way to fit into this strange family situation. And strange it was. Then again, as he cringingly looked back at his own youth, Steve had to admit it was a miracle he turned out halfway sane.
At least as far as Lenny Murchison was qualified to judge.
Eyes carefully focused at the highway ahead, the young Inspector passed several slow cars full of insecure drivers who had trouble navigating the road as darkness fell. Having been cut off multiple times already by people who failed to remember their mirrors when bad weather hit; he'd been keeping as much distance as possible between cars, hoping to avoid a wreck so close to being back home.
"This rain is beginning to worry me."
Mike's strained voice right next to him resonated with his own feelings, as his workday turned forty-some hours old, his exhausted mind growing more sluggish by the minute.
"Mike, there's not going to me a whole lot of artists and vendors out in the Mission District this time a night and in this weather, I'm afraid…"
"Yeah, I know…", completely bypassing the fact that Steve had read his mind like an open book, the Lieutenant grunted, torn between his duty to solve the case and the undeniable assortment of elements against them in that pursuit, all of them entirely out of their control.
Another couple of miles later, Mike cleared his throat again, the pitch in his voice slightly more pleasant this time around.
"You look run down, Buddyboy. And we both are soaked to the bone and could use a change of clothes. How about we call it a day for today? I'll spring for the pizza, if you want to hang out at my place for a while. We could use the time to go over the case once again. Prepare for tomorrow…"
Steve knew the question was going to come up sooner or later.
With every bone in his body aching after being awake for way too long, having shamelessly longed for that comfortable bed all day; he was more than ready for the scent of the cozy, freshly washed covers wrapped tightly around his exhausted body, the calming tick-tocks of the nearby clock lulling him to sleep, as he indulged in some much-needed six or seven hours of oblivion.
And yet, deep inside, he knew that Mike needed his presence more than anything after being gone for a few days.
Especially in the face of their latest case.
Feeling his partner's eyes on him even though they seemed to stare straight ahead, he shrugged, flinching inwardly, when the move made the tense muscles in his neck and upper back hurt.
"I am dead tired, Mike.", Steve began, instantly sensing his partner's mood turn gloomy at the denial in the making, and realizing he didn't have the heart to disappoint his best friend tonight, "But if I do collapse from sheer exhaustion, I guess whether it's your couch…or my bed…I guess it's as good as anything these days, right?"
The delighted laugh coming from the other side of the front bench was enough to raise his weary spirits that evening. Hearing Mike slap his hands together in celebration, the ensuing giggle sounding so innocently youthful, was enough to finish off his difficult day on a much brighter note.
Humbly realizing that sometimes, a partnership wasn't a 50/50 commitment, but instead weighed heavier on one person than the other depending on the circumstances; Steve laid his dreams about sleeping in his own bed to rest for the time being, knowing that he made the most important person in his life a whole lot happier tonight by doing so.
