Work Text:
"You shouldn't-"
CRASH
"Do that-"
BANG clatter-clatter
"IN THE HOUSE!"
Bad Cop half-ignored his other self and gave another feeble kick to the chair, and it fell over and onto the floor with a dull clunk.
"Wowwww," Benny observed from behind him, causing him to jump and turn around quickly. "You were really killing that chair, weren't you? What, did it hold your coffee table hostage?"
"Space man!" Bad Cop barked angrily. "I thought I said to-!"
"Come in and let you know I'm here," Benny finished, lifting his brow. "I just came in. You didn't show up yesterday. I got worried."
"Oh…" Good Cop laughed lightly, cringing, and motioned to his left arm. "I got into a bit of an accident Friday night and spent all of yesterday morning at the hospital. By the time I got home, I was too tired to do anything else and forgot to call."
Benny winced at the sight of the cast. "How bad was it?"
"Just a broken arm," Good Cop assured him. "It'll heal."
"Well, alright…" Clasping his hands together, his eyes lit up and he grinned. "Can I sign it?"
"No!" Bad Cop snapped at him. "Sure!" Good Cop answered.
Benny grabbed a pen and zipped over, quickly scribbling something onto the cast. He capped the pen and tossed it back onto the table. "Done!"
Bad Cop glanced down at the signature and frowned. "Is it… Supposed to look like a spaceship?"
Grinning, Benny took Bad Cop by his good hand and pulled him into the living room, setting him on the couch. "C'mon, tell me how it happened! Did you get hurt on the job? Whose butt do I need to kick?"
"You aren't kicking anyone's butt, kid," Bad Cop grumbled. He wrinkled his nose. "Or… Whatever you are…"
"Yeah, okay, I'd probably get beat up anyway," Benny sighed, pouting. He glanced up at Bad Cop and shrugged his shoulders. "Well? What happened?"
Good Cop flinched, but began the story. "There was a misunderstanding…" Bad Cop scowled. "I was going after this banana thief at the same time that Batman was chasing down a 'new monkey themed villain' and we ended up finding the same perp." Good Cop frowned. "It ended up being a cute little monkey that escaped from the zoo. The zookeepers came and picked it up right after we found it."
Benny frowned at him, lifting his brow in question. "And how did that break your arm?"
"Uh, well…" Good Cop shrugged helplessly. Bad Cop shook his head, slipping his good hand under his glasses and then down his face. "There were banana peels everywhere. I slipped on one at the same time that Batman did, and we ended up crashing into each other and broke each other's arms."
Benny pursed his lips, though his eyes showed delight, and he finally let out a grin and a small giggle. "Well that explains why Batman kept his arms under his cape at the Master Builder meeting last night." He got up and motioned for Bad Cop to stay where he was. "Don't move! I'll be right back!"
Bad Cop got up to protest just as Benny went further into the house. Good Cop sat back down, waiting patiently, and soon he watched Benny come back in carrying every pillow he could in one trip as well as a blanket draped over his arm. Benny put the pillows all around Good Cop and then put the blanket over him. "There! Comfy?"
"Yes," Good Cop nodded. Bad Cop shook his head. "Why the heck did you…?"
"It seems like the thing to do when you break your arm," Benny answered, shrugging. "Now, I'll go make you some soup."
"I'm not sick," Bad Cop insisted. "I just have a broken arm."
"I know," Benny laughed. "I just want soup." He turned but then paused. "Oh, wait, one last thing!" He looked around for the TV remote and fumbled around with it, grumbling to himself as he struggled to get it to work. "Uh… Uh… Bad Cop…?"
Bad Cop sighed and pointed out the proper buttons. "Press this, then that to turn it on. Then this one and then the numbers to change the channel."
"Why so many?" Benny asked, staring at the remote incredulously. He pressed the buttons, grinning as the TV did what it was supposed to, and he then changed the channel right to the middle of a "Throw the Brick at Him" episode. "Emmet told me there is a 'Throw the Brick at Him' marathon on today! I'm surprised you weren't watching it!"
"I'm not obsessed with this show or anything," Bad Cop answered. He looked up and noticed Benny giving him a look and he sighed. "I forgot it was on this weekend," he grumbled.
Benny smiled and set the remote down. "I'll go make the soup now!"
Bad Cop watched Benny retreat to the kitchen, and he groaned and leaned back into the couch. Good Cop smiled. "That's nice of him," he complimented. Bad Cop scowled. "Quiet, you. We have no idea what he could be doing in our kitchen." Good Cop shook his head. "We're just going to have to trust him. Just relax and watch your TV show."
Grumbling, Bad Cop focused his eyes on the screen. He watched the attractive cop and his attractive partner try to track down the crook of the week, but his eyes kept darting over to the kitchen door and the various sounds of cooking that resounded through it.
"Maybe I should check on him," he thought. "Make sure he isn't making a mess out of everything."
"No!" his other self chided. "We hardly ever get to relax! Just let him cook and worry about potential messes later."
He scowled. "But he eats nothing but space food. How do we know he even knows how to cook?"
Good Cop sighed and shook his head. "He's going through all this trouble for us, and you can't even be grateful."
Bad Cop leaned forward angrily. "Hey, it's not that I'm ungrateful. I just don't know what he's getting at being so kind to us. Even the others don't really talk to us much, and it's not like we ever talked to this guy before the Freedom Friday on a Tuesday incident."
Pouting, Good Cop leaned back again and nestled himself into the pillow nest. "Well with that attitude it's no wonder none of them are as friendly with you. So in that case, I'll just stay out until Benny leaves."
"Hey, no fair!"
"It's your own fault."
"Good Cop, at least let me watch the show!"
"Sorry, you're in time out."
"Ughh, fine! I don't get why you care so much about Benny liking us. You never acted this way every other time I did something like this."
Good Cop frowned. "I just think you should actually give him a chance. It seems like he'd be a lot more understanding than anyone else I was interested in."
Bad Cop pursed his lips and said nothing else, intent on staring at the TV screen and pretending to watch. The next thing he knew, something was prodding his shoulder, and he blinked into awareness, reaching up to rub his eyes before remembering that one hand was in a cast. "Wha…?"
"You fell asleep," Benny chimed. "I hope you didn't miss too much of the marathon."
He shook his head and glanced at the time, noting that he had been asleep for only about an hour. "No, not much. Did you finish the soup?"
Benny held up the bowl, grinning proudly. Bad Cop looked down at it to see what kind it was and then stared when he noticed Benny's bare hands holding onto it.
"You took off your suit?"
"It's really hard to cook in it," Benny answered, shrugging as he grinned nervously. "I'll be alright for now." He looked at Bad Cop's arm and hummed. "So… Are you left handed or right handed?"
"What do you mean 'alright for now'?" Bad Cop asked. Before Benny could respond, Good Cop grinned and answered quickly, "I'm left-handed." Bad Cop sighed. "And I'm…" Good Cop broke in, "Also left-handed."
"What are you doing? You know I'm not."
"Well, since you broke your left arm, I'll have to feed you, won't I?" Benny answered laughing.
"Good Cop, you little jerk!"
"You don't need to if you don't want to," Good Cop answered, ignoring his other self. "But I wouldn't mind. It's kind of you to offer."
"Not a problem!" Benny sat next to Good Cop and lifted the spoon. "Careful, it's hot."
Good Cop ate the spoonful and grinned. "It's delicious! What kind is it?"
Benny shook his head. "I don't really know. I had to improvise with the stuff you have in your fridge and pantry. Oh, and don't worry, I cleaned everything up already."
"Oh, that's good to hear." Good Cop nodded and gladly accepted more soup.
After a few more spoonfuls, Benny hummed a bit and looked up at Good Cop. "So if you like it, don't you think Bad Cop should try it too?"
Good Cop chuckled nervously. "I don't think he… Well…"
"C'mon," Benny insisted. "I want to hear what both of you think!"
"Well…" After a few seconds pause, Bad Cop switched in, quickly grabbing the spoon with his right hand before Benny could do anything and quickly fed himself.
Benny lifted his brow, watching him, and Bad Cop frowned at him.
"Good Cop's a liar," Bad Cop mumbled.
"Noooo, really?" Benny shook his head, grinning through the sarcasm. "I just can't believe it. I never would have guessed."
Bad Cop furrowed his brow at him. "Wait… You knew?"
Benny beamed at him and continuing to hold the bowl as he ate. "You know, all things considered, you two don't exactly live up to your names. You're pretty much a normal person."
He gripped the spoon a little tighter and glanced up at Benny from over his sunglasses. "You really think so?"
He nodded. "Yeah! Why wouldn't I?"
"Most people think it's…" Good Cop set the spoon back in the bowl and shrugged. "They think it's weird having two personalities like this."
Benny shifted, lips pulling into a small frown. He then asked something so quietly, Good Cop almost missed it. "Did they ever call you crazy?"
"A few times, a long time ago," Good Cop answered. "Then Bad Cop scared them enough that they stopped."
He nodded. "That's good. Hey, do you have a tray table I can set this on?"
"There in the corner," Good Cop pointed.
Benny set the bowl on the coffee table before going to get the tray table. After setting it up, he put the bowl on it for Bad Cop and then relaxed into the sofa next to him. "You know, this is the first time in a while I've taken off my suit outside my own home."
"Yeah?" Bad Cop asked. When Benny said nothing more on the subject, he focused on his soup again. "...Good Cop's right. This is pretty tasty."
Benny grinned. "Glad you think so, Cops! So, I guess we'll reschedule your training for after your arm heals?"
"Obviously," Bad Cop grunted. "I'll let you know when I get the cast off."
He nodded. "And maybe sometime you can tell me how the two of you happened."
Bad Cop choked on his soup, coughing to clear his throat before glaring at Benny.
Benny shrugged. "Just a suggestion. Ooh, look!" He pointed at the TV, bouncing in his seat. "It's the episode with Jenny in it!"
"Stop bouncing," Bad Cop ordered. "I don't want to spill this."
"Right, sorry," Benny chuckled nervously, stilling himself. He glanced to the TV and frowned as a picture of a Xenon X-Craft floating in space took up the screen. He carefully stood up, swallowing before smiling weakly. "I'll be right back…"
Bad Cop watched him leave, and less than a minute later, Benny floated back in wearing his suit once more. Benny hurried over next to Bad Cop again, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees to watch the episode.
Rolling his eyes, Bad Cop grumbled into his soup. "And maybe sometime you can tell me why you insist on wearing that scratched up suit and broken helmet all the time."
"Yeah, maybe sometime," Benny muttered in return.
Bad Cop looked over at Benny again, but Benny had his eyes glued to the screen as if he hadn't said anything. He sighed and just leaned back as his finished his soup, silently watching the rest of the marathon with Benny at his side.