[Backdated to May 2019; forgot to cross post from gdocs]
It was always the same routine when it came to work. Go in, get coffee, chat for a bit while you were assigned your area to patrol and then go out. Derryl rather enjoyed it for the most part. Most of the cops he had to deal with, his partners for the day, or the detectives who asked him to join them for a case, he liked. Hell, he damn right loved some of these guys and went out to drink regularly with them at the end of the day. To him, he couldn’t have picked a better station to be based out of.
Oh wait, yes, yes the ******** he could.
There was ONE ******** a*****e in this entire precinct that he hated more than anyone. <******** Jeremy ******** Fischer. This snobby a*****e had always gotten under his skin. Ever Since they were in the Academy together, Derryl found himself one step below Jeremy. One less person helped. One stack of paper work left unfinished. One less ticket sold for the Station Christmas Party Fundraiser. There was always something they were doing, and Fischer was always the one to be him.
Damn… Derryl HATED Fisher more than he loved his job at times. He would come in like today, happy as hell from whatever hookup or good dinner he had the night before, ready to face the troubles of Destiny City head on and there he ******** was, with his grin, chatting with his partners for the day.
It was stupid, he knew this, to hate someone for even daring to smile in his presence, but those feelings ran deep. Years and years and years of petty bullshit still remained built up in his chest. There was nothing to be done though so he sat at the table, trying not to glare too obviously over his cup of coffee at the back of Fischer’s head. At Least coffee wasn’t an obnoxious p***k first thing in the morning, he thought until he took a sip and frown. Yuck… It was burn.
A moment later the Sergeant came out from his office, handing off the assignments for the day and…
“Fischer, Stevens. Patrol Car Ten, Districts Three, Four, and Five.”
… Well ********.
Fixing his already dread filled face, he stood up and called to the man “Yes Sir!” before falling in line beside Fisher, already inwardly groaning to himself. What a wonderful ******** day this was already…
-
Jeremy’s lips pursed at the announcement, though of all the things he could complain about, his partner for the day wasn’t one of them. He had a girl he was usually assigned to patrol with, but with the schedules being what they were, he wasn’t always in on the same days as her. Especially on days like today, where he was picking up an extra shift.
No, his annoyance was more likely geared towards taking Patrol Car Ten—a different car than his usual one, and one with notoriously finicky air conditioning. Or, at getting three districts in one day, compared to the expected one. It meant to day was going to be a busy day.
Probably a long one, too.
He lifted his cup of coffee to his lips and took a good swig before turning to Derryl.
Jeremy was either oblivious to Derryl’s disdain or found some delight in pretending to have no idea; he flashed a quick grin and pushed himself off of the desk he had been leaning on.
“Been a while since I had you for a partner, Stevens. We gonna rock, paper, scissors for who’s driving shotgun, or do you just want to give up now and pass me the keys?”
It was the most diplomatic way to see who was driving the car; Jeremy’d had a lucky streak of late, and he couldn’t immediately recall a time when Derryl had ever won against him.
-
Holy sweet baby Jesus that smile… That goddamn ******** smile. Lots of people complimented Jeremy on that smile, but Derryl only twitched an eye at it… That smug b*****d knew how ******** irritated he was at this assignment. That horrid Patrol Car Ten he could deal with, but this a*****e… Ugh…
“Yeah, it has, hasn’t it?” He made sure his voice was steady as he finished his own coffee and threw the cup in the trash can. If only he could do the same with the man before him. “Since I was the last person to use that car, the seat’s already adjusted for me, so I do think I should drive. Save you the hassle, right?”
A brief mental note was made to fuss at the Sergeant for this bullshit, but he knew it would have to be a private conversation. More than likely though he’d be told to suck it up and let it go.
Ugh…
“Alright, let’s hurry it up, District Five is planning some block party and wants extra patrolling around there… District Four has faced a series of minor burglaries in the past few weeks, people stealing gnomes so… there’s that. It’s going to be one hell of a day. Sure you can keep up?”
-
Jeremy wore a bemused smile as he contemplated fighting for driving privileges but eventually he shrugged. "All right, I'll let you off easy this time. You can drive."
He rolled his shoulders, ready to go despite having only a few hours of sleep from when work ended last night and when he'd had to come in today. It didn't seem like anything could get his spirits down--not even gnomes or block parties.
------
Patrol wasn't anything amazing; Jeremy played with the radio or spoke to break up any silence. He seemed to always have something to say, whether conversation was wanted or not. The block party wasn't as obnoxious as he'd imagined it was going to be, but he reclined as Derryl did the work of driving. Truthfully he hated not being in the seat with all the decision making and control of the vehicle but he wasn't carsick--yet.
His eyes kept drifting to dark alleys and even when he was running his mouth he seemed like he was still aware of what was going on around him.
Which was probably why he'd been the one to spot the strange man lurking while Derryl was distracted with something else. Jeremy had waited for something to seem amiss, for something to jump out at him--so when he saw the guy lunge at some poor woman and her purse, he made his move.
It was an easy apprehension, an easy arrest.
And just one more thing to gloat about. Jeremy wasn't a modest person, though neither was he particularly boastful unless prompted.
But he was proud of every good deed, every wrong righted.
He was happy doing his job, even in crappy areas, in crappy cars, with a guy who hated his guts, whether he knew it or not.
As they were driving back, purse snatcher in the back seat of their car, Jeremy was grinning and looking out the window and asked, not looking at Derryl, "Does this he seem the type to be a gnome thief or am I gonna have to make a few more arrests today?"
There was no doubt in his mind that today was going to be a good day--for him, his pride, and his record.
-
Why?
Why were things always so… Unfortunate when he was with Jeremy? All he wanted to do was drive in silence and do his job. Sure, when it came to his other partners, he was more than happy to strike up a conversation. How were the kids? How was that garden they were working on going? What sort of project was next for their volunteer organization? Derryl adored listening to the excited gossiping and witty banter that he had with those people.
With Jeremy, he only wanted peace. Peace and quiet, with hopes that he could just ignore the fact that he was here. But he kept talking and fiddling with the radio and out of politeness (and desire not to get reported for being a d**k), Derryl simply complied, letting that rage boil inside.
When they finally made it to the block party, he was greeted with enthusiasm, the people here recognizing him as this was one of his regular patrol routes. Most seemed to ignore Jeremy, which was wonderful while it lasted, but the moment Derryl grew distracted, trying to help a child with his shoe after he was approached with those big round eyes going ‘mama said policemen are supposed to help’, there he went again. He caught a purse thief with ease and shower upon shower of praise from the older woman and her family.
His partner was just doing his job. He was doing his job well but the bragging, the snarky comments made Derryl’s head want to bash against the windshield.
“Haha, you’re funny.” He laughed dryly, taking turn particularly sharply while still obeying the traffic laws. At Least he was still driving.
“Those thieves are probably just some dumb kids messing around. Gnomes are creepy.” Maybe since Jeremy caught the perp, he could do the paperwork… Yes, that meant that he could go back out on his own at least for a little while.
Once they arrived, Derryl decided to just wait in the car. “You can take him in on your own, can’t you? Let me know if you’re coming back or if I get to return to the party all on my own.”
Damn, how he WISHED that was the case!
-
Jeremy stepped out of the car with ease. “I can take him in on my own,” he replied easily; they were at the precinct and any man foolish enough to try and run from here wasn’t much of a threat. He wouldn’t have had the wits to get far, and Jeremy was both taller and broader than the thief.
“You in a rush to get out of here?” he asked, but it was fairly obvious that Derryl had an agenda. Not the Jeremy could blame him; crime was always happening in Destiny City, and more often than not, he was sent out without a partner. A block party likely wasn’t going to yield any dangerous trouble, and his time was better spent making sure this guy got booked and taken care of. Not that Jeremy would have had any issue lingering in the area, chatting up civilians, but he’d taken on this extra shift to get things done.
And make a few extra bucks, but why not?
“Saw that cute brunette with the dog checking you out,” he noted. “If you hurry back, you might catch her before she find someone else to flirt with.”
He winked playfully, opening the back door and pulling the thief out by the arm. There was no resistance; caught, the thief was complaint—albeit kept muttering things under his breath.
Jeremy paid it no mind and closed the car door.
“Nah, I’ll handle this. You go do what you need to do to keep the city safe. I’ll get the paperwork done on this. If they want me back out on patrol, I’ll give you a call to pick me up again or something. You go have fun, stay out of trouble. Make an arrest or two while you’re out there, eh? You’ll never catch up to me if you’re too busy helping tie shoes.”
He seemed laid back, like there was no trouble or animosity. He spoke to Derryl like the were old friends, like he could get away with teasing or joking. There was no formality; he was almost painfully casual, all things considered.
-
Derryl only gave a playful grin as Jeremy left his car, taking the perp into the station. He had gotten so good at facking these smiles that be doubted Jeremy ddin’t even know how much he truly hated his guts. Maybe that made it even worse.
It wasn’t healthy, hating someone as deeply as he did. He could see his face, imagine it at the most random of times and it left him feeling so angry and left a horrible cloud hovering over his head. And it lingered for days on end. Derryl could smiled and fake his days so very easily but… That smug grin, those words on his lips that lingered, saying he’d never be as good at Jeremy was just… Tortured him.
One day he’d figure out a way to get back at him, to find a way to do something that Jeremy had no choice but to just sit back and watch while he did something entirely legal in a way that Jeremy hated.
For now he simply turned on his car and headed back to the Block party. He cared not for any pretty women or men, so whoever Jeremy was talking about didn’t come to mind. Maybe he wouldn’t make an arrest today but the important part he was focused on was keeping the poor people of the city safe while they tried to have fun… And corral them back into their homes before night fall. Derryl loved having fun and having a good time with civilians but he was no slacker of a cop. Their health was more important than his own well being. He was no powered freak but he was a servant of society and would do what he could.
Hopefully what he could did not mean he had to DO it with that ******** red headed b*****d.
Kapoodles
