Night like this
I own nothing. This is just for fun.
The night was cold, jack frost biting at Chloe Decker's fingers as she stuffed them into her pockets. Her hair was tied back concisely, out of her face, but her ears were paying the price in the chilly air. She looked across the parking lot. She was looking for Dan, but after he'd dumped her, by text, he'd been nowhere around. She didn't know what was up with him. She had to talk. So somehow, she'd managed to convince herself to come out here and stake out Dan's car, just so she could catch up to him, anyway.
She saw a figure go over to his car, casually unlock the driver's side and get in. It wasn't Dan though, it was Malcolm.
She thought he might at least know where Dan was, being as though they'd been made partners after Malcolm's recovery, so she started heading over. She wasn't sure he'd talk to her but it was worth a try. He pulled out a bag from the car's footwell, white paper, and jumped, startled when he caught sight of her coming towards him, his grin growing wide as hell.
"Yo, Decker. That you hidin' out over there? Not stalkin' me are you?"
"No! No, absolutely nothing like that." she answered hurriedly, shaking her head. She didn't want him to think she'd do something like that, even though she had technically been following Dan. Malcolm suddenly started laughing, the sound grating on her nerves. She wasn't really a people person. She knew though that Malcolm had always been a jokester, but somehow it seemed to her, like he was masking something now, covering up another feeling that he couldn't really hide.
"Don't worry, I'm just... just messin with ya."
She nodded, running a hand behind her ear to catch a stray hair.
"I'm looking for Dan. Have you seen him today?"
Malcolm looked like he was thinking about it, then shook his head, still overly casual, especially compared to her.
"Nu-uh. He's been AWOL these last couple. This about, him breakin up with you? I guessed as much. Tmi-by the way. That guy can talk." His voice was casual but theatrical, and his movements matched that.
Malcolm opened the bag, his attention drawing to it, and she realised it was full of doughnuts. He took a bite of one, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Oh Decker. You want one? These are soo frickin' delicious!"
Chloe shook her head, her face stern but somehow light around the edges. But then it darkened, remembering Dan.
"He told you about breaking up with me? I can't believe this. We weren't even together!" She sounded hurt, and that projected into anger.
"Woah woah woah, hey. What you yellin at me for? It's not like I sent you the text." His eyes shifted nervously, but he was too scared of Amenadiel to go changing anything about the plan. He wasn't going to Hell, ever again, He COULDN'T. An he only had himself to trust to get him out of it, didn't he? He'd tried telling Mel, and Dan, but no one had believed him.
And anyway, what could they do right?
Chloe didn't notice anyway.
"I'm sorry Malcolm" she said tiredly, putting her head in her hands. "It's just, everything's falling apart, with Dan, and Trixie. I really thought we were fixing things and then..."
"I know right?" His tone was bright, but distant, like he was trying to justify something and Chloe wondered if he were still talking about her and Dan, or if he had had problems too.
"Malcolm, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be at home?" she asked, trying to get him to talk.
For a minute he was silent, but when he started speaking his tone was desperately animated.
"Crashin' here for a couple-o hours. Not like Dan's gonna need it with him doina runner like e has. M'I right?. 'N any case, I got nowhere else, soo..."
"I'm sorry." She told him gently, feeling bad for not considering it "I didn't realise you were having a hard time at the moment with Mel."
"Don't sweat it, Decker." He grinned back, his persona back on like a mask "They don't need us anyway, do they, know what I mean, right?"
"Malcolm." She said suddenly, in that second feeling an impulsive desire to help him out of this mess that he had got himself into. It wasn't like her to be impulsive. She was always structured and professional, but she couldn't ignore it either.
He looked edgy, scared even. She still thought he was a dirty cop, but she didn't want to see him out on the streets either. Something in her didn't want to see him get hurt.
"I think you should come home with me. Just for a couple of days until you can find somewhere else. I can make up a spare bed. What would it say about me if I let you freeze to death."
He let out a shaky breath, like he was trying to get himself to calm down, putting a hand on his chest. He smiled again, but this time it was weaker, but more sincere, grateful.
"Hey. Thanks Decker alright. Never thought of you as my buddy before but who knew, m'grateful, right? Didn't want to stay out here in the dark."
"You're welcome." Chloe replied with a tired smile, "come on, get in the car. I'll drive you over there with me"
As he climbed in shotgun, she saw this look in his eyes, a tremble in the way he held his hands, and she knew he'd been through hell. She tried telling herself she was doing this for the case, to get inside information. But she knew she was lying to herself. She was doing it because somewhere inside her she cared.