[Backdated to May 2019; forgot to cross post from gdocs.]
Myles was used to having bad days. in fact, most days had something bad about them--he just didn't let it get to him. Today wasn't really an exception; he had tripped down three small steps and bruised his ankle. He was sure it wasn't twisted or sprained--he'd done that enough that he was fairly aware of what it felt like.
No, this was just an inconvenience and he was certain all he had to do was sit down for a bit and rest his ankle with some ice. Unfortunately, he also had the misfortune of leaving his wallet at home, so calling a cab or catching the bus wasn't an option.
Jeremy, though. He could always rely on Jeremy to bail him out. It did not escape Myles' attention that Jeremy had deliberately selected to work at the station he had; despite its bad reputation it was near a school and home and everything Myles needed to be happy. Jeremy had wanted to make sure he could be nearby in case Myles needed anything--and, today, Myles needed something.
He entered the station and greeted the officers with waves and smiles; he wasn't an unfamiliar face and even if he had been, anyone who knew Jeremy could suspect the two were related.
Myles glanced around for his brother, favoring his foot as he entered the room. His limp was noticeable despite his efforts to conceal it; he had shifted his bag to his other shoulder and clutched it tightly to distract himself from the pain.
He looked out of place in his dark shirt and brightly colored accessories, but his smile was as warm as ever. So many officers seemed busy and, wanting to stay out of their hair, he hesitated on approaching anyone--until his eyes landed on a face he was a little more familiar with than most.
"Oh," he exclaimed, and waved at the male before shuffling over. "Officer Stevens?" He chanced, as if he were too nervous to address him by his first name while he was on duty. "Hi, can I borrow you for a minute?" He didn't wait and instead continued, "I'm looking for Jeremy--er, Officer Fischer," he corrected quickly. "Do you know if he's in, or...?"
His voice trailed off and he shrugged. The smile remained on his face, as peasant as ever as he shifted positions to take what weight he could off of his bad ankle.
-
Today’s shift was so damned long… It started in the wee hours of the morning, and kept going and going, merging into a double shift before Derryl realized it. Every muscle in his body screamed at him, saying it was time to go home already. All that was left to do was to finish up a few more pieces of paperwork on the arrest of a Graffiti artist and boom, it was time to go home, drink a beer, and then pass out on the couch with his little puppy on his chest.
Before he could finally submit the form, a different sort of sad puppy arrived at his desk, and Derryl’s tired eyes met with pretty golden ones. It was the younger Fischer brother, the one he had seen not too long ago in the uniform of a terrorist…
One could almost see the lightbulb turn on over the top of his head when Myles approached him. Great… Wonderful even. He could use this.
“Good Evening, Myles, it’s been a while, huh? Fischer is currently out on a last minute call, so I’m not sure when he’d be back.” His eyes trailed down to his wobbly ankle, eyebrows raised, then shifting into a concerned smile as he stood up.
“Are you doing alright? Did you hurt yourself?” Ignoring the papers on his desk for now, Derryl chose to put his arm about the smaller man’s waist steadying him and making sure that his weight was flush up against him and on the good foot, rather than the bad one.
“I’ll be happy to give you a ride home if you need it. I just need to submit this file. Come, let’s get you some ice for now, okay?”
-
Myles displayed no discomfort when Derryl rose and wrapped his arm around him. He rarely displayed any issue with personal space, and truthfully he appreciated the gesture. He rested against Derryl as he shifted his weight.
“Oh,” he said, unable to contain a slightly laugh. “Was it that obvious? I tripped on my way home.”
Not surprising by any means; Myles was notoriously clumsy and it was rare that he didn’t show up with some sort of injury. If anyone had seen some of his bruises they might have thought someone was manhandling him—until they spent any decent amount of time with him. He walked into desks, tripped over his own two feet, dropped things; he was a walking disaster, and each new injury was just proof.
Still, he didn’t seem upset. “Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting for Jeremy,” Myles insisted. “I don’t want to inconvenience you or anything. I can just take a nap or something at his desk,” he teased, but in reality he was already eying a familiar, out of the way bench.
The building was always busy, but when Myles needed to sleep, he slept. He’d passed out on that bench, waiting for Jeremy, many times before. Though, now he liked to think he was a little more responsible, and he tried just a little harder not to stick around and do anything that would embarrass his brother.
-
It seemed like Myles was still just as gentle as he was when he was a kid, if Derryl remembered correctly. The weight easily was rested against his side and Derryl allowed himself to smile. Myles never was a bad kid in his eyes. A little… All over the place, unfortunate if anything, but still good in his own way. And gullible too.
“Yeah, I’m sure, kid. Like I said, I literally just need to drop off papers to the boss and we can be on our way. We have some rather jerky people in the cells right now, and you can hear them shouting profanities all the time. Not something you can sleep through for sure. Then again… I have seen you conk out on that bench over there so who knows?” A rough hand came up and gave the little redhead’s hair a ruffle before shifting him around to sit down in his own chair. Better than Jeremy’s for sure, especially since he happened to steal his chair a few months ago and it hadn’t been noticed yet.
“Just wait right here okay?” Off he went to the common room, filling up a ziplock with some ice and wrapping some paper towels around it before heading back to Myles. “Here you go. Rest up for just a bit, I’ll be ready to go soon.”
And just like he said, he finished up his paperwork, giving a quick smile every now and then to the younger man, then went into drop them off with the Sargent. Finally, he was ready to go and came back to tap Myles on the shoulder.
“Alrighty, time to go kid! We can stop somewhere and pick you up some grub too before I drop you off. Feel like anything in particular?” Now that he thought about it, he was kinda hungry too, and… Well delaying taking Myles home gave him some extra time before he made his move and brought up what he saw the other night.
For now his eyes wandered down to Myles’ sore ankle.
“Would you like me to carry you to the car? I don’t mind in the least.”
-
Myles was compliant while he waited; he didn’t move from the spot Derryl had left him in and patiently stood still. He didn’t seem to mind waiting, and the ice was a blessing. He kept the bag pressed to his ankle until Derryl approached again, but he responded with only a laugh.
“I’m fine,” he assured, pushing himself up. “I can walk. You’ve just worked your whole shift, I don’t want to give you any extra trouble. I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to loan me your arm, though.”
He reached out his hand and offered the officer an apologetic, somewhat pleading smile.
“I can buy you dinner, though. I mean, it’s the least I can do.” He wasn’t a little kid anymore; he hadn’t forgotten Derryl’s kindness from back then. He didn’t want to be a mooch and, while he hadn’t considered wanting to get food, now that Derryl brought it up, his stomach was growling…
“I’m a cheap date, so my go-to’s are any fast food dollar menu, so maybe it’s a little better if you pick. I’m sure your taste is a little more refined than mine,” he laughed, though a second later seemed to be contemplating. “Though, you would think the same thing about Jeremy, and sometimes I think he eats worse than me.”
-
”You’re never any trouble for me, Myles. You know I’m always happy to help you.” Derryl extended his arm to Myles, gently taking it. Part of him worried for a brief moment about the thought that this kid, this gentle and clumsy young man was one of these terrorists. Was it all an act? Had he been fooling people for years about what he was? Perhaps instinctively he tightened his grip on Myles’ arm, not too tightly but noticeable.
At the offer of paying for dinner, Derryl just couldn’t help but laugh, squeezing the other closer to him in a half hug.
“Do you really think I’d let you pay? It’s fine! My treat, especially since you’re the brother of the department’s finest. I could I let Fischer’s little brother pay? And… Besides. It’s been a long day, and seeing you here made it all the better.” That said he guided Myles to his car, making sure he buckled up nice and safe before getting in himself.
“Despite what you think, I’m cheap as well. Though if you want to call it a date, sure, why not? Let’s go somewhere nice. Or you could even come over for a little while and we’ll order take out. I know this great Indian place that delivers.” The idea of getting Myles into his home, where he couldn’t flee when he confronted him seemed too good to be true, but surely Myles wasn’t that trusting…
The more he spoke, the more creepy he felt he sounded so he let off of it, starting up the car and waiting for Myles to make a decision.
“Just let me know what you want to do, oh little date of mine.”
-
Myles easily mistook the tightness on his arm for additional support; he must not have been alarmed by slightly rougher grips because he didn’t flinch away or act as though anything seemed off. He seemed comfortable in the half hug and focused on walking well enough.
The closeness, the laugh, it was comforting.
Like talking to an old friend and not someone you were bumming a favor off of.
In a way, Derryl was an old friend—only, Myles’ memories of those days were somewhat distant, and he remembered only those times he would show up at the precinct looking for his brother but found Derryl instead.
Myles adjusted himself in the seat and made himself comfortable, placing his bag by his feet before he tugged at the seatbelt a little and then glanced at Derryl.
“Oh, it’s a nice offer, but I’m sure Jeremy would worry if I did something so random! I should get home,” he mused, but the thought seemed to be lost and he shrugged. “Or, no, forget that. I can do whatever,” he decided. He held no illusions that it was a real date, nor was he heartbroken at the idea that it wasn’t. It was a joke, and one that Derryl had taken in good spirits. If Derryl was going to drive him home and feed him, Myles wasn’t the sort to deny him company if he sought it.
And, if he was anything like Jeremy, he probably didn’t have someone important in his life yet, and so he had no one to help him unwind. Jeremy would have been lonely without Myles around, and the younger male sympathized immediately at the thought of going home to an empty house.
It was all speculation, but his mind was running wild. All he could imagine was denying Derryl’s invitation, condemning the man to a lonely night and forcing him to bottle up all his emotions and social need.
No, Myles couldn’t do that; he could do dinner.
“I haven’t tried any Indian food, really. Jeremy makes fun of my ‘delicate palate’. Mostly I eat a lot of cereal,” he confessed. “But if you say it’s good, I trust you.”
-
”Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to give your over protective big brother a reason to come to my house and yell at me. But… If you are sure, then I think you made me one very happy man.” Very happy indeed, he thought to himself as he buckled himself in and checked his mirrors before starting off down the road.
This night was going far, far too perfectly, like a wonderful dream that he so rightly deserved. No, he scolded himself, letting his smile relax a bit instead of grinning as he headed home.
“Indian it is! And I think I have a new friend for you to meet too. I guess not new, he’s old, but you know. I don’t think you’ve met Riggs, have you? You’ll like him alot. He’s a big ol’ fluff of a boy, and super nice to boot.” Was it creepy to encourage Myles to come more by promising him to meet his dog? Part of him admitted it sounded like something right out of a creeper’s handbook, but to make it better, he pulled out his phone while at the stoplight and went to his gallery folder called “Riggs”.
“Here, feel free to scroll through and look at him. The other pups you see are all ones I’ve trained and given back to their owners. I’m probably not supposed to be running a side business, but, I’m sure you can keep a secret, right?” To emphasis, he paused and gave a quick smile and wink before facing the road again.
“Almost there! Ahh… I’m starving!”
-
If Myles had been a child, it was quickly clear that being bribed with puppies would have had him climbing into many a stranger’s car, even with Jeremy for a brother. His eyes lit up immediately and he looked far too excited at the prospect of seeing a dog. Immediately, he accepted the phone and began scrolling as instructed.
“I can keep a secret,” Myles insisted, too enamored to really pay attention to whatever it was he was promising. There were very few secrets Myles actually could keep; he was notoriously quick to speak without considering his words, but he’d kept a good few secrets for a good while.
He loved the dog before he’d even seen him.
“He’s so handsome,” he exclaimed, far more focused on looking at the dogs than he was paying attention to where they were going. He trusted too easily, but he’d known Derryl for years—and, on top of it, he was a police officer, and he worked with Jeremy so obviously they were friends.
His stomach growled again, but even that didn’t seem to distract him from the dog.
He held Derryl’s phone carefully in his hands, mindful not to drop or damage it in any way. His own phone was encased in the best money could buy, and yet it still seemed to have suffered some of the worst of Myles’ klutziness.
-
“I’m glad to hear that. Wouldn’t want to disappoint people by giving out all the secrets to everyone, right? When I get back home, when you meet Riggs, I’ll let you in on another secret.” Derryl had to admit, it was cute to see Myles so excited over his dog. It was a good distraction, get him nice and cozy before he initiated the plot. Of course Derryl was someone to trust. He needed Myles to believe that. For just a moment he imagined himself going mwahahahaha! but only smiled, realizing that yes, that might be a bit much. He wasn’t a comic book villain after all. To himself, he wasn’t the bad guy in the least, no, the horribly treated rival maybe, but what he was planning on doing certainly wasn’t wrong. Not how he saw it anyway.
Just a little bit of revenge, that’s all. Nothing illegal in the least.
“Mhm, Riggs is a good boy. A big ol’ good boy. I’m sure you two will be best of friends.” Luckily for them both, his home wasn’t all that far from the station, in the opposite direction from where Jeremy lived. Less sketchy more… New money feeling. Besides his dog and the occasional dogs he trained, he didn’t have any other expenses to worry about so being able to afford a nice home on the good side of the tracks made his home seem far cozier than the trash Jeremy and Myles lived in. A tiny victory in all that other bullshit he had to deal with on a day to day basis.
When they arrived at the single family home, the first thing that was noticeable was that most of the front yard was shut in, and posted on the fence was a “Beware of Drool” sign, a place take on the traditional sign people with dogs had. It was a rather plain house, one story, a light blue on the outside with stone walkways, but it was nice. When they pulled into the driveway, an automated garage door opened, and Derryl drove them right in without issue, closing it right behind them.
“I’ll order us some grub, you can go play with Riggs. You can’t miss him. The fluffbutt will be right inside.” True to his word, the door to the house opened and Riggs was sitting there, tail wagging like crazy for chance to meet a new friend. He was a massive ol’ dog, with jet black fur and looking like he was just half a second away from putting all 130 pounds right onto Myles chest and drowning him in happy kisses. But he knew better and simply waited to be pet.
“You like chicken, right? Chicken Tikka might be good for you. Creamy and not very spicy. Don’t want you burning off your tongue!”
-
If there was anything ominous in Derryl’s words, Myles was entirely oblivious to it. He trusted too easily and was already wooed by the prospect of seeing a dog meant that he could only focus on the good things.
He wasn’t disappointed.
He followed Derryl into the house after making quick note of how cozy it seemed; it was in a better neighborhood than the apartment he and Jeremy shared and it seemed like it would have been a nice place to raise a family. He didn’t think to ask if Derryl had a wife or children—that probably would have been prying too much, and he’d know soon enough.
For now, Riggs was all he needed.
When the dog came into sight, he exclaimed pleasantly and dropped down to pet the massive dog. “We will be the best of friends,” he exclaimed pleasantly, already brushing his fingers over the dog’s head with unbridled affection. All thoughts of examining the walls for photographs of family were lost the moment his eyes met the dog’s.
“I’ll eat anything,” he replied. “As long as it isn’t expensive, that’s my only request. Oh, and as long as it doesn’t have eggplant in it. I don’t know why, but I just can’t stand the flavor. But I’ll eat whatever,” he promised.
It took him only a moment to settle himself on the ground; he didn’t seem to have any pride that prevented him from making himself comfortable—and he was clearly invested in making Riggs his new best friend. He was going to be here for a while; he might as well be comfortable.
-
Riggs was simply overjoyed at the attention and happily managed to slobber all over Myles by the time that Derryl returned from making the order.
A quick whistle was given and Riggs wiggled away from Myles, heading out of the kitchen and into the living room where Derryl was now at.
“Come on over here, Myles, come sit with me for a second, I need to ask you something.” Now that Riggs was close by, it would make Myles more comfortable, he figured it was the best time to finally make his move.
-
Though Myles seemed a bit disappointed that his time with Riggs was being cut short, he took the opportunity to wipe the slobber from his face. He rose carefully, mindful of his ankle, and made his way to the living room.
He figured it was a simple question, something about allergies or figuring out how far away he lived, or any of those simple conversation starters you threw out when you had someone in your house.
It wasn’t that he and Derryl were strangers; Myles felt no awkwardness or hesitation being in his house or sitting next to him.
He flashed a smile as he made himself comfortable on the couch, though he was mindful not to sit too close, or to seem too desperate to pet Riggs again. “Anything,” he said easily, with a smile that said he probably did actually mean Derryl could ask him anything.
-
“Well…” Derryl started, giving a little signal to Riggs with his hand. Obediently the dog came over and put his big ol’ head on Myles leg, effectively trapping him. Not that it really looked like Myles was bothered by being trapped, given just how affectionate he seemed to be with Riggs.
“A few nights ago, I tried to stop by your house to drop off some paperwork that Jeremy left behind. You remember right? I knocked on the door and handed them to you? Well.. Before that, I was sitting in my car, listening to a report that was going out and saw something very… Very strange. You’ve heard of those terrorists, right? Of course you have, it’s been such a long, long fight against them and trying to find a way to keep this city safe from all this… Mystical mumbo jumbo, so they say. And simply the strangest thing showed up not too far from your home. One of these terrorists, clad in red and white, bouncing around like he owned the place. In my fear and worry, you see, I got out of the car and tracked them on foot. A long and arduous trip that was, who knew those freaks could be so fast!” At this point, Derryl was grinning, arm reaching out to wrap itself around Myles’ shoulder to further trap him by his side.
“It took a while for the flashy b*****d to slow down and to my horror it stopped not too far away from where you live. So there I was, gun poised, ready to shoot and take him right out, make this city safer, as is my sworn duty after all, but I hesitated… And A good thing I did too because right as my finger was about to pull that trigger, whatever disguise that was there melted right on away leaving behind someone I didn’t expect to see. Do you know who that was, Myles?” The hand that had gone about the poor boy’s shoulder now came up to idly play with a bit of his hair, lacing it’s way through and making sure it was ready to pull it tight, if need be.
“It was you… Mistaking it. What with that fiery red hair of yours and the fact that not a moment later you went strolling right into your house. I denied it at first, because who would have thought that sweet little Myles would be one of those horrid people who went around terrorizing this poor sad city, but not a moment later, when I went to knock on the door, there you were, in the same clothes as the person I saw power down. How… Scary!”
Derryl was certainly having far too much fun with this, leaning in close to nearly whisper into Myles’ ear.
“What would happen if it were to get out that Jeremy Fischer’s own little brother was hiding such a big secret? Oh geesh, I could see it now. I bet he knows too, huh? And he certainly wouldn’t go and arrest you to clear his name from any association… I just know it would be a huge scandal for sure. Not only would he lose any chance of getting that promotion to Sergeant he’s been working so hard towards, but he might even get fired, or worse, arrested and charged with criminal neglect for letting you run free… That just won’t do, would it? Oh… you look a little worried Myles, is everything alright?” Of course they weren’t. Here Derryl was, waving what was likely the most juicy and career ruining bit of information he had on Jeremy right in front of his beloved brother’s face! Damn, he couldn’t remember feeling this wonderful since he first entered the academy, and even Riggs seem to take in on the joy, tail wagging excitedly even with victim of his owner’s attacks right under his head.
“Don’t you have something to say, hrm? Any way to defend yourself from these accusations? Well, since they are a well known fact, I suppose accusation is the wrong word, but, you know.”
---
Initially, Myles mistook the dog on his knee as a sign of affection more so than command; he had missed the gesture Derryl summoned the creature with—and even if he hadn’t, he didn’t know dogs could be that well trained. He reached down to pet Riggs again, but the gesture slowed the more Derryl spoke.
The smile on his face slowly melted, and the petting gradually died into an uncomfortable stillness.
He remembered going out that night. He remembered Derryl stopping by. He hadn’t thought anything of it—in fact, he thought he’d been good at keeping his identity a secret. He had been so certain that no one had seen him, that no one had followed him.
And yet, he had apparently been completely oblivious.
Myles noted that Derryl’s hand around his shoulder felt strangely heavy right off the bat, and even though he tried to force a smile, he knew there was no recovering from this.
There was no playing stupid, no sweet talking, no outsmarting him.
The sensation of Derryl playing with his hair made him bristle, though he tried to conceal it as best he could. He had goosebumps, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing upright.
But, he was right. There was no denying the accusations. Derryl had no reason to fabricate information, and even if it came down to a he-said, she-said situation, Myles knew who would win. The decorated police officer with a flawless record, or…him.
The smile had long since faded from his face, along with a decent amount of blood. He was pale and clammy; the realization that he had been caught wasn’t quite so jarring as the understanding that Derryl had only made it very clear that he was caught. But, he hadn’t arrested Myles yet, and that meant that there was more to this than just what had been said already.
Myles’ hand rested over Riggs’ head uncertainly and his eyes remained focused on the dog for a long moment before he chanced a look up at Derryl’s smug face. Something twisted in his gut—anxiety and fear.
“I’m going to suppose you didn’t bring me here just to gloat,” he said slowly. Myles wasn’t an intelligent person, he knew that. But he wasn’t a complete idiot. Derryl hadn’t brought him home for dinner, and he hadn’t brought him over just to tell him he was in on this big secret.
So he knew why he wasn’t over here. But he didn’t know why he was.
He couldn’t deny it. Maybe he could lie and say Derryl mistook him for a terrorist after seeing him in some costume from a play or something, or that he had the wrong redhead who just so happened to live in that building, or maybe he was just having strange dreams, but the reality was that the cogs of his mind had immediately grated to a full stop. Myles wasn’t even a good liar; he knew that. His palms were sweaty and his heart was pounding; he had all the symptoms of someone just waiting to be caught in a lie.
Derryl would know. He was a police officer, it was his job to know. He’d found out, just like Jeremy.
Oh, but Jeremy.
Myles swallowed the thick lump in his throat and it felt like he was about to choke on a rock. They’d been talking about promotions at the workplace, Jeremy had come home elated that his name had been thrown around a few times. He deserved it, Myles knew he did. His brother worked so hard for Destiny City, and he’d talked about all the things he’d changed when he got to be more established. He wanted a safer town. Less corruption in the workforce. Jeremy was passionate and had a drive unlike any Myles had ever seen.
And right now, he could jeopardize everything Jeremy had been working for.
But, he reminded himself, Derryl hadn’t arrested him. Yet.
Which meant there was something he was holding back—some reason why he hadn’t just handcuffed him that night and dragged him down to the station.
He tried to ignore how happy Derryl looked, how happy Riggs looked, and just focus on how he looked.
Myles struggled to look less pathetic than he felt, and he tried to sit up a little straighter so he didn’t look so weak. He could feel Derryl’s fingers in his hair and it made him wonder what would happen if he tried to bolt, if he could even get away. His legs shifted positions instinctively, as if it were just his instinct to bolt when a situation got too intense.
It was his instinct, and he was fighting against it right now. Running wasn’t going to solve any of his problems. He doubted crying would, or throwing up, despite the sudden sensation that he might need to do both.
He drew in a slow, calming breath, and tried to imagine what his brother might do in this situation.
Briefly, he pictured Jeremy waving around his gun and making threats, and instinctively his eyes searched for some sort of weapon.
…He wasn’t like Jeremy, though. He couldn’t fight. Wouldn’t fight, unless he had to.
His golden eyes returned to Derryl’s face.
“I’m not sure why you’re telling me all this, though. I’m not sure what you want. But, I can tell you that you’re wrong about the whole terrorist thing. I don’t do anything bad, and I never have.”
Not as a Senshi, at least.
“I don’t want any trouble, please. Not for me, and not for Jeremy.”
He wanted to say more, really, but his mind had frozen up. He looked at Derryl hopefully, as if saying ‘Please’ nicely might be enough for him to just forget he’d seen anything, to make him laugh all this off and let him go back to petting Riggs, and then Myles could just leave. He didn’t even have to stay for dinner, or get a ride home—he would walk from here, if it meant that Derryl just dropped the subject and never spoke of it again.
