SAVIOR

"it's weird, right?" pearce didn't know what was happening to wilmington but whatever it was, he didn't really like it all that much. in fact, he was growing a bit paranoid and that was unlike who he was as a person. "do you ever miss doing that? you know, being a part of the police department?" he was curious. "why did you leave, by the way? i don't know if you ever told me and if you have, i apologize. i've forgotten."

CLOSED STARTER

pearce couldn't believe how dramatic the other next to him was being but he couldn't help but to laugh. after all, she was acting as though he were the worst driver on the road. "come on, i'm not that bad," he reassured, shaking his head at the woman. "by the way, you'll find love when you least expect it. that's what happened to me. a couple of dinners with ariya and i was hooked, and not just because of the sex. i mean, she was amazing from the start." he explained as he took a sharp turned, barely missing the curb as he did so.

"Yeah and I'm hearing you and saying I'll do something about it." She wasn't sure what this guy wanted, but it was starting to weird her out how invested he was in lecturing her on her personal safety. "Are you a cop or something? What's your name again?" Maybe he really was just a do-gooder looking out for everyone, but if this was some sort of weird cryptic warning then she wanted to know who it was she was talking to."

pearce wondered if she was actually listening to the words coming out of his mouth or if she was only saying she heard him. regardless, she wasn't going to push because she wasn't any of his concern. "no, i'm a therapist. my name's pearce. pearce callahan." he had nothing to hide. after all, he was only trying to help everyone.

She let out an ungraceful snort, tears still threatening to spill from her eyes. "Maybe he won't be upset. You never know, he might be into voyeurism," Ishani said through her laughter, quickly pressing her palm against her mouth to muffle the sound. She paused, taking a moment to reflect on how different things were now—no more chasing leads or breaking stories. These days, she preferred hearing the gossip rather than reporting it. "You know him better than I do," she said to Pearce, grabbing a fry and using it to emphasize her point. "Should we start a betting pool on how long until this hits the local news? My money's on three days max."

pearce felt bad for irza but at the same time, his friend knew what he was doing and he obviously had been enjoying himself. "well, why don't i text him and let him know what i heard? then both of us will know what he thinks about this whole this?" he wondered if he'd care at all or if he'd tell ember. the two definitely had eyes on them, that's for sure. "i don't know. hopefully it's just town gossip and doesn't hit the news but there's no telling what the news channels around here will report since there aren't any new leads with anything else."

A puff of air managed to slip out of Pearce’s mouth, his head nodding. He wasn’t exactly stoked by those news either but there was no use in focusing on it too much. “I appreciate that. I just feel like she could do so much better but I can’t be happier about the fact that she’s mine.” And he meant that. He couldn’t be luckier as far as he was concerned. His eyebrows raised in surprise, “oh yeah?” He smiled at the other. “I get it. Just tell me one thing - are you happy? At the end of the day, I think that’s all that matters.”

Irza wrapped an arm around his best friend, matching the half-hug with equal care. His heart went out to Ariya as they discussed the topic. "That's what real love looks like, man. Standing by someone even when they try to push you away," he said, his voice quiet. His dark eyes met Pearce's, understanding written across his features. "Don't forget about the little things—sometimes just having someone bring coffee or sit quietly with you makes all the difference." His voice cracked slightly, but he pushed through. "My mom makes this amazing Turkish soup—mercimek çorbası—it's perfect for when you're feeling low. We'll bring some over." He squeezed Pearce's shoulder,. "You're not alone in this, Pearce. We've got your back. But I also hope you’re not neglecting your own health. You can’t pour from an empty cup."

pearce couldn't help but to smile a little and nodded his head, "i do love her. i don't want her to think that she has to do all of this on her own, you know?" and he meant that. there was no way he was going to leave ariya now. "i'll keep that in mind too. i do appreciate the advice and the soup you may bring over. thank you for...you know, being here. i don't know what i'd do without some support of my own." he couldn't face this on his own either, which was why he went to irza and spoke to him about it. "i'm not neglecting myself. i take care of myself the same time that i'm taking care of her. enough about all of this," he waved his free hand in the air, "how are you? how's ember? when ariya is feeling up to it, we'll go out for dinner again."

Ari gave up trying to make Pearce see reason. She was too damn tired to keep fighting him. "Fine," she muttered, shoving another spoonful of soup in her mouth. The food warmed her up a bit, which was nice. She did a double take at Pearce, surprised he'd put so much effort into the meal. "This is actually pretty good," she admitted, though she didn't want to. "Not that it’s a surprise." The man could cook anything and make it taste good. As she ate, she thought about what he said. Part of her wanted to believe him, but she still had doubts. She sipped the tea, noticing how it soothed her sore throat. "Thanks for the tea too," she added, her voice less grumpy than before.

he smiled slightly as she complimented the soup. That was the nicest thing she’d said to him in days, which he managed to find comforting. Pearce missed the way they used to be but he also knew how much she was going through and so he couldn’t ask her to act like herself, especially when she really didn’t want him around in the first place. He didn’t think about it too much, especially since it did hurt his feelings to know that she’d rather push him away than lean on him. “You’re welcome. There’s more than enough of that soup to last you a couple of days.” He figured she wouldn’t want him here every day anyways.

His question about her parents made her uncomfortable, but she chose to be honest. “They got divorced. Dad moved to California and Mom is in Boston now. My disease broke them up.” Ari held his hand tightly, hoping to banish the memories. Moving to the counter, she ordered her Thai-fusion burger while he got his brisket grilled cheese. Once they’d both placed their orders, they found a table away from the crowd and sat down. Taking a big bite of her burger, she closed her eyes—a moan leaving her as she savored the spicy sauce and crispy noodles. For the first time since her re-diagnosis, food tasted good again. She’d been so worried about everything lately that eating had become a chore. But right now, she felt almost normal. “This is really good,” she said between bites, gesturing at his sandwich. “Want to try some of mine? The sauce isn’t too spicy, I promise.” She held out her burger.

he didn't mean to push her into an uncomfortable conversation but the two had never really discussed her family before and so he just wanted to make sure that he got to know her in every way. after all, why wouldn't he want to? he figured getting to know her now was better than never, especially considering the fact that he was going to be spending the rest of his life with her. after ordering their food and making their ways to the table, he couldn't help but to chuckle at how she very obviously was enjoying the burger in front of her. he took a bite of his own sandwich and peered at hers in disbelief. "i don't know. you know how i am with spice. it never agrees with me."

Ryle found it hard not to smirk at his brother's remark. He'd heard those words far too much from both Pearce and some of his friends by now to even feel offended by them. How could he? When most times people were right to call him that. When his recklessness often bordered with stupidity. "You've always been not the biggest fan of it anyway, so I can't say I'm surprised." A shadow of concern flashed over his face without reaching his eyes and the devilish glint in them. "Am I about to become an uncle? Or is it too soon for that yet?"

pearce was sure that whatever he threw in his brother's direction wouldn't bother him. ryle was aware of the decisions he made and how careless he was, and pearce did his best as his older brother to steer him in a different direction. most of the time, it didn't work. he cocked an eyebrow at the other's question, "not any time soon. ariya's ill. she has to go through treatment at the hospital for a while and hope that she can beat what she's going through."

“Of course I do,” she replied with a gummy smile on her face as she took the seat and handed him the bubble tea. A part of her was tempted to interject a comment about how exes didn’t just forget things because they were no longer together but it wasn’t necessary right now. “I hope I still got the flavours right,” she mentioned before gesturing for him to take a sip. “So—how are you doing?” Of course she had come here to attempt to properly wipe the slate clean but knew it might not be as easy as she’d hoped so easing into it was her current plan of action.

pearce reluctantly took the drink and took a sup before setting it on his desk in front of him, his eyes looking at her in a curious manner. he had no idea why she was here and he knew it wasn't just to catch up with him. he knew she had better things to do than that. "i'm aright. i don't have any complaints. how are things with you?" he asked, arms crossing over his chest.

She glared at Pearce, her irritation rising. She wanted to argue, to push him away again, but exhaustion won out. "Fine, if you want to play nursemaid, be my guest," she grumbled—wincing as another wave of pain hit her. Ari took the bowl reluctantly, the warmth seeping into her hands. His words about being in love with her made her chest tighten. She didn't want to admit how much they affected her because she would be lying if she didn’t admit to being in love with the stubborn man. "You don't know what you're getting into," she muttered. "This isn't just a cold that'll pass in a few days. It's going to be long and messy."

it's not at though he was trying to make this harder on her. in fact, he was trying to do the opposite and he didn't want her to have to go through all of this alone. that was why he'd been so persistent on being there for her. well, that, and the fact that he loved her. "i do actually know what i'm getting into. i've been reading up on things and i'm more than willing to stick around until you're better." he didn't care if it took six months or six years. ariya was who he wanted to be with.

Ari walked next to Pearce—still hanging on to his arm—her eyes briefly on the ground. When he asked about her parents, she paused for a moment, but quickly said. "Yeah, Mom was an amazing cook. She'd make these huge pots of soup with rice noodles and fishballs. Dad would pretend to hate it but always asked for seconds." The memory brought a small smile to her face, even though it hurt to think about it. "A burger sounds perfect right now," she said, pulling at his hand as they moved toward one of the stalls. A bunch of food trucks stood in a line, making her stomach growl as the aroma of the different dishes wafted over to her. "Oooh… They have Thai-fusion burger. There’s one with crispy noodles and spicy sauce on top. I think I’m going to go with that.”

his girlfriend had his full attention, completely intrigued by hearing what life with her parents were like. "where are your parents now?" he hoped that it wasn't a sensitive topic but he didn't know if he didn't ask. it seemed as though, despite her illness, they still had some good times. "whatever you want, my love. let's go get you a burger." if that's what she preferred, he was all for it. he stood in line next to her and rubbed his hand over her back, "that sounds good. i was kind of thinking about that brisket grilled cheese…" he trailed off, nodding toward the menu.

Her frustration builds as Pearce ignored her protests. Try as she might, he just wouldn't give up. She wanted to scream. Why was he being so stubborn? Couldn't he see that she was trying to free him? Realizing he wasn’t going to go away, Ari said, "Whatever," before rolling over, and curling up on the sofa—wishing the pain away. Her joints ached, and she felt feverish. The familiar symptoms of Kawasaki Disease were setting in again and she closed her eyes, hoping sleep would claim her. She drifted off, the sound of pots and pans fading into the background.

he'd checked on her while the soup was cooking and even went as far as to pull a blanket off the back of the couch and lay it over her. pearce knew that this was hard on her and he knew that she just didn't want to make him stick around when he didn't have to but he wasn't going anywhere, not when he loved her as much as he did. it'd been too long since the last time he'd felt this way for anyone and so, he was going to be here for her in any way he could.

She chuckled at his possessive comment, but smiled nonetheless. His arm around her made her skin tingle with happiness, and despite her attempts to push him away, she'd missed this closeness. "You're right, I don't have to apologize," Ari said, leaning into his touch as they walked. The restaurant's spooky decorations caught her attention—fake cobwebs hung from the ceiling and plastic skeletons sat at empty tables. The host, dressed as a zombie, led them to their table. At his comment about eyeballs in soup, she laughed. "I don't think it's weird. In Thailand, they have these things called fishballs, they're delicious and they usually put them in soup. My mom used to make it for me…" She remembered her mother making that soup when she was sick as a child, before the heart attacks started. Before everything changed. She swallowed the lump in her throat and spotted a stall, “Let’s get a burger. That we don’t have to sit at a restaurant.”

he, too, had missed their moments like this but despite the fact that they'd decreased, he didn't hold that against her due to knowing that she didn't always feel well. after all, he loved her regardless. "oh yeah?" he asked, glancing down at her. she didn't talk much about her parents so he was interested in knowing more about them. "i suppose it's just different since it's not something i'm culturally used to." pausing as she mentioned not sitting in the restaurant, he glanced down at her. "is that what you want? we don't have to eat here. we can do what you want and just grab a burger." whatever she wanted, he was up to do. he was just happy the two of them were getting out for a little while.

"So I'm not meant to get laid is what you're saying?" Parker couldn't help but laugh at that. There were other ways to get herself satisfied but it felt like too big of a sacrifice for maybe running into a serial killer. "Are you sure you're not the killer because I haven't heard anyone tell me not to sleep with random people. I think that after a while, without sex, I might just welcome death."

pearce cocked an eyebrow, "if it's with some random person you don't know then i would say avoid that at all costs at the moment. at least until they figure out who in the hell is doing this to everyone." then again, he couldn't tell the woman how to live her life. he doubted she listen to him anyways. "why would i be so concerned if i were the killer?" he asked. he didn't see any point in warning people if he were, even if it were to just put up a facade.

closed for @pearcecallahan location: his office

despite being hurt by what it was that happened between them all that time ago, he felt as though he could move on now that the divorce was finalized. of course, he already had and with ariya, but he meant as far as the betrayal went. at the knock on his door, he peered up at her and he hadn't expected it to be kashvi, at all. in fact, he kind of expected his office assistant or his girlfriend. maybe even his brother or his best friend. he pushed his glasses on top of his head and held his hand out to motion for her to take a seat, "alright," he started, "you obviously know my weakness."