noteasytobepink | Wheelsy AU ~ Hollywood Nights

"But what?" His expression fixed into a glare, and he straightened up on his seat.

"You ain't even known me all that long. Couple bad nights you've been around for, that's all."

"But I still worry about you, naturally. You're my only real connection in this world." And that meant her only partner and teammate for now. "And no, I haven't which tends to mean one of two things. One, you really needed someone outside the situation to break down around, or two, drama follows me like the damn plague and I'm hoping it's not that cause it gives me a headache."

"I ain't breaking down."

Beat, and some of the defensive aggravation bleeds out of him.

"An' it ain't nothin' to do with you. I've actually liked havin' you around this past while."

"Different definitions of 'breaking down' I think." Hers meant 'allowing things to leak through the general wall that the rest of the world saw'.

Beat.

"It's cause I look good in a towel right? Damn, should have considered that as a social ice breaking sooner! Think the precinct would mind?"

He studied her, unsure.

"What's yours?"

His was obviously the one with a negative slant.

The ghost of a smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"I was thinking more about the cooking and housework, and the help you've given us at the station."

He cupped his hands around his whiskey, and gave half a shrug.

"You've also been a pretty good friend t'me."

Not everyone had such an open ear, or was as caring and understanding of things.

"Setting aside the walls and allowing a bit of the stress leak out." She shrugged, after all, made sense to her. "Of course there are worse ways to define it I guess. I tend to think about those with others words." Like 'going crazy' you know?

"Awwww, I was proud of my towel-self for a moment there. I almost had an ego boost." Pout. Pout pout. "I try Bill, can't help helping it seems."

He nodded to her definition, staring down into his cup.

"It's more a case of you happen t'be there where an' when I let go, than you bein' a cause." Or him needing someone there for it to happen.

"An' I never said y'didn't look nice."

"Eh, you needed someone to be there. Else you wouldn't have talked at all right?" And it was something he was better off saying really. Things aired even safe at home were less stressful.

"But you never did compliment me, or agree to my towel at the precinct idea! At least that would settle the 'pink everywhere' question that the deputies ask EVERYDAY."

"Probably not." He still hadn't done all that much talking, but at least he'd gotten some things off his chest.

"Anyone with eyes could see how good y'look, but that would leave me with a department full of guys too busy pickin' their tongues off the floor t'do any work."

"Eh, sorry to break it to you Bill but they rate EVERY woman who walks by the precinct and oggle anyone five and over on their scale. You'd think they never got laid in their lives." Or just got that damn bored with police work.

"I'm pretty sure Paul-boy wants to ask me out to the lake to check some things himself." The poor, poor boy.

"Probably the only one who does is Dave, an' only 'cause he's married."

Police work attracted a lot of bachelor's and often kept them that way. The danger, the hours, and the stress didn't make for the best relationships.

"Just do me a favor an' don't hurt 'im too bad if he does."

"And Dave signed on to hold stop signs and direct traffic." It was a guaranteed pay check that wasn't the mail service, and he wasn't exactly the sharpest pencil in the box. Sweet, father of four, his wife handled the complicated stuff.

Though, admittedly, well, Clarice would have been a cop in any other life really!

"Nah, I won't. I'll explain things nice and proper and point out that I'm probably older than he is and can bench press him if necessary."

"He does more'n that. You can count on Dave when y'need to."

Bill emptied his cup again, but didn't pour again; mindful of Clarice.

"Good, it'll be easier for him if you're nice, an' honest about it."

"Yes, I know Dave does more, but he'd be content if all he did was signs and traffic Bill. He's granite." She didn't mean that in a bad way at all, it was just the truth. and the need for someone else to take initiative in things he didn't have experience with!

"I'm always nice Bill, and honest. I only fall back on violence when the first two don't work." And if the boy got pushy she'd be nice and start with breaking just a finger instead of a knee.

"At least he's good at it." Not that it's all that hard, but traffic isn't really everyone's favorite assignment, so it was good to have someone who would always volunteer.

"I'm sure it won't come to you needin' to hurt him. If it does lemme talk to him before you start dislocatin' things on him."

"Yes, he is. And he always smiles. He has a nice smile." Clarice was happy to note. It was always nice to run into truly content people.

"Young idiots are always going to be young idiots Bill, but if it comes to that I will let you talk to him. I'm not sure if you having the 'I'm the adult male in her life' talk with him will help with the mooning, but hey, can't hurt?"

"I could also go with the 'I'm the sheriff an' orderin' you' angle."

Was he being protective? Maybe, but she was his friend, and he also had to keep order in the department.

"an' if that don't work maybe me givin' him a good whop upside the head'll do it."

"Oh, so you can break him but I can't? That's not fair!" Awwwwwwwwwwwwww spoilsport. "You're tromping on my self protection thing!"

"I ain't gonna break 'im, just knock some sense into him."

Totally different thing.

"Sorry, but I'm protective, it ain't a thing that can be helped."

"Depending on the sense you're knocking into him then he could get broken anyway." It was almost a hopeful sound!

"Hmmm, can I be protective in return?"

"That all depends on him."

Now his beer was done, and Bill leaned back in his chair to pull another from the nearby mini-fridge.

"Protect me? Well, you've already walked me home once, an' I hope you'd be nice enough to point out if I'm about to fall in a hole or somethin'."

"I'm not sure which part of the equation I should root for. Lotsa knocks for the action or quick learning for the deputy..." She was joking, naturally.

"Sure, walking home and not walking you into a hole is a normal thing but you know I kinda want to hurt Starla right?"

The can top hissed, and Bill's eyes flicked to her.

"She's still my friend."

"She may be," Clarice allowed easily. "But I don't know her and I don't like what she does to you." In the realm of picking a side she was firmly on Bill's side and she was a violent woman.

"I think just about anybody who cared about you might feel a little aggressive, seeing this."

His head went down, and he stared at the top of his can.

"It's not her fault. I-- she didn't know. I never told her."

Never mind the fact that everyone else in the world knew. Or all the time he spent with her. Or the night he risked everything to save her.

"She didn't do this on purpose."

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