Fuck off

The closest thing most would ever witness of genuine mirth curled Kate’s ruby painted lips in a half smirk, an accompanying arched brow raised haughtily. “Wait a minute,” she continued, her tone tinged with faux realization. “I did tell you that”

She crossed her knees beneath the bench they were seated at and gave him a look that clearly said, ’I told you so.’ “But evidently you prefer boiled motor oil to the, what did you call it, ’hoity toity espresso bar,’” their waitress was less than thrilled with overhearing Kate’s brazen insult to their brew, but Kate couldn’t care less. Kate spared her a glance, daring her to dispute, but she scurried away under the intense gaze. “At least the waffles are decent” drenched in butter, but decent.

"Shirley looked like she worked real hard on this pot,” his words soured like the curdling cream that skated across the surface of the already burnt coffee. Christian tipped his head with an apologetic grin to the circling waitress with strangely wispy whiskers along her upper lip. Kate didn’t know about basic breakfast etiquette. If you insult the waitress she will spit in the eggs. “Katherine,” he hissed with feigned snarl.  

“You think when you’ve got a rich friend they’d treat ya..” he sucked his teeth before looking over at Max. “I got two good for nothin’...” his words trailing off as he could no longer handle his own mirth. 

“The coffee taste like shit. This is feeling more like a stake out than a luncheon.” 

“The moment I ran into you was when I began to put the pieces together that it couldn’t be our people, but by then the pieces were already falling too quickly for us to catch them.” he agreed with a sigh, rubbing his beard as he recalled that day for the umpteenth time. “They knew I was blue and also knew exactly how to incriminate me…” he trailed off his musings as dropped the question he had been avoiding as long as he had known him but now it was time to come clean.

“…yes and no. Top of the list is my brother. Well, half-brother.”

“Yes and no?” Christian tipped his head up to gaze at his estranged partner with an air of skepticism. Any answer that had been formed with such inconsistency brought about deeper questions that never seem to find resolution. “Since when did you have a half brother and why the hell would he want to incriminate you?” 

Perenna rolled her eyes as she scoffed. “Oh, because locking myself inside  with a busted window isn’t an open invitation to looters,” she snapped back. “And knowing you, I’d probably have to sit in the back of your unmarked cruiser, so no thanks. I’ll take my chances following your shadow.” She continued to follow the grouchy detective as they walked the alleyway, her senses heightened as she tried to detect others in their intended path. “I’m more than just a damsel in distress, detective. Usually I’d handle these things myself, but seeing as there were some things stolen, I knew it was best to call CCPD. So call me what you will, do what you must, but know that I can handle my own when it comes down to it. I’m not your enemy, I’m an ally.”

Every moment that seemed to roll on between them provoked  the deep tension between his shoulder to tighten. This is why he couldn’t stand psychologist. They all thought their pen was mightier than the sword; yet, here she was calling in the big guns to save the day. "If you keep flapping your gums, you will sit in the back of my unmarked cruiser,” he grumbled. Christian advanced forward with a cautious edge. There was no way he was willingly going to lead them into the lion’s den. “See that’s where you’re wrong. You’re not my ally, you’re the person I’m here to protect. Don’t try to be the hero. I ain’t trying to die tonight because you’ve got some repressed complex, alright?” 

Christian held his hand up to still her movements. “What did they steal and do you have any firearms in your office?” He asked softly. Pivoting, he flicked on the flashlight that sat flush against the barrel of his service pistol to illuminate the darkened corridor. 

“Charity gala; I have to go and try not to embarrass my baby daddy and his family.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with watching Lux without Babs? I can see if I can find someone else. “

"I don’t think you could embarrass him. Just don’t call him your baby daddy while at this gala. I find that can disarm people. Try fiancé or something akin to that, kid.” Christian snarled at her follow up. He was great with kids. “Uncle Chris got this covered. I love my girl and would love to spend all my time with her but she’s got her own life. This is my way to contribute so that she can exercise that freedom.”

Max let out a sigh, squinting up at the partly cloudy sky as he ran over the events of that day once more. “I was doing grunt work - moving product as directed when a group of armed men raided the warehouse. They were dressed in uniforms but I was in such a rush to clear the scene without being caught that I didn’t look to closely at them. I just assumed it was our precinct because who else knew about our operation? That’s when you nearly ran me down.”

Christian forced back the hoarse scratch of discontent that bobbed in the back of his throat. Max wasn’t the enemy; nor was he the one who deserved such pointed words. He would reserve those words for those who chose to cross Christian’s brother. It was the nameless entity and the constricting creep of the walls that forced down on them both that set Christian ablaze. 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said partly to himself. “Our unit knows the procedure when it comes to raids and drops like that. I’ve been listening over dispatch for any related calls in your area downtown. The patrol men aren’t stupid enough..” he paused with a heavy sigh. “Whomever orchestrated this knew you were blue because of course you’d roll out at any sign of trouble not to blow your cover.” Christian lifted his tightly closed fist to his lips and blew a air pass of air through them; the chill spidering up his fingers. 

"I am one thousand percent sure,” he hummed. “I learned from a very powerful redhead that I am not the only person on the force. I don’t have to shoulder it alone nor should I. Which is why a vacation with my favorite girl sounds like a nice reward for all my good work, don’t you think?” Christian’s fingers drummed along the inside of her thigh. “How about a day trip? We can drive up the coast and see the ocean up close for once. No leather, lead, or lousy timing. We can go after shift and we’ll return before I have to go in.” His bottom lip jutted out as he attempted to sell it to her and himself. 

@detectivechucklxs​ asked:    ‘ damnit, stay here. ’

Lengthening her stride and pumping her arms, Perenna struggled to keep up with the cranky detective’s pace. “You’re asking me to stay, alone, in a dark, creepy alleyway? Oh, hell no!” Despite being quite capable of handling herself, she kept up the façade of needing protection, lest she become a damsel in distress. “ I’m the one that called for help, remember? Where you go, I go.”

The last call he thought he would receive would come in the form of the prissy shrink who was as sharp as a ballpoint pen. After all of the hours she’d spent tying him up in paperwork, she needed help. How ironic. Christian responded to dispatch, his foot jamming heavily onto the gas. He wasn’t far out but she did need to be in distress. Stepping down from the cab, he held onto the handle of his door to gently close the door. There was no need to draw any unnecessary attention to a plain clothes detective. Her sinewy frame stood close to the dewy brick as he approached. His head spun from the rolling details that fell from her lips. The broken glass was evident to a break in but it didn’t explain why she has stuck around to call this in. Christian navigated through the alley, a keen eye on the placement of each piece of evidence. 

This shouldn’t take long. Go wait in my car and I’ll drive you to the station to take your statement. 

"I know you weren’t but I ain’t real happy with the hours right now either.” Christian sighed. “I feel like I see Spivot more than I see you which is wrong on so many levels.” His fingers curled beneath her bicep as he gingerly pulled her in closer. “Why don’t we get away? I am overdue for some time off and I don’t think it would hurt to pull rank on some of the rookies doing clean up.” 

“Sometimes you say the sweetest things, Christian. It always makes me worry you’ve got a concussion.” Patty teased, though honestly she had missed him just as much. He had been the one to pull her battered from the mess of the attack on the precinct. He had been the only one keeping some form of hope for Max’s innocence even when Patty’s belief in it waned. And now he was offering rare but welcome niceties. It warmed her heart knowing they were at this point now from where they had started. “So, literal calling cards? Seems a bit on the nose doesn’t it?” She questioned, peaking over his shoulder at the playing cards he had pulled from the wall. “Metal?” 

“I ain’t all thorns..” he fired back with a mumbling retort. Christian didn’t mind Patty’s tickling sarcasm because he knew it came from a very special place. The station seemed to fall dimmer without her sunny brilliance and Max’s golden boy shine. Christian beg and battled for normalcy every single day he adorned his badge. Those days seemed to be long gone; yet, he held onto hope that if enough hustle and hope all would be right again. How could he turn his back on such a change when he had experienced it. His relationship with Patty sat as a testament to differences and rough starts could be resolved with a little understanding. “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. He left in a hurry but didn’t mind showing us his hand..” the pun floated between them as Christian tried his best to mask his amusement. 

“That’s what I first thought by the indents but they’re featherlight. Hopefully we can lift something from the card that can confirm who I think they belong to. Which is why I am equally as happy to see you and your nerdy science kit.” 

"This city is going to shit and I am not trying to keep on being surprised with my pants down.” Christian stepped into her space, his hands curled tightly against his lower back. “Maggie Sawyer, Barbara Gordon, Kate Kane and Max Stone-- they all gotta stay alive long enough to escape this city one day. I am only one man and I know for shit sure I won’t be able to protect them all. Not that they need it but the lives of a lot of other people I give half a shit about will suffer without them.”