Chapter Text
“Just-Just shut up!”
Bright goes completely still. The tremor in his hand stops for a split second and then Dani can see the physical damage of her outbreak. Both his hands begin to tremble so bad he punches them into his thighs, shoving them into his pockets. His entire body quacks with nerves so raw. The shields she’d so delicately made him think he could put down, emotions he thought she wouldn’t manipulate, are drawn up and tight.
She stands from her chair, too quickly.
Bright stumbles backward. His face pinching in a wince when Gil’s hand reaches out to stop Bright’s uncoordinated movement. He dodges Gil’s hand, his right hand leaving his pocket and coming to push in the center of his chest. His breathing becomes erratic, his head shaking. He jerkily rubs his chest, stumbling from the room.
He drags himself from the room, his feet shuffling as he pushes and stumbles to getaway.
“Gil, I-”
Gil looks up at her, he’s angry. The anger doesn’t burn deep. He’s angry with the situation, not with her. While she does read the disappointment just under the anger. She handled that poorly. Bright was doing his job, it’s not his fault his nerves are shot to hell. He can’t sit still and he talks too quick. He still trusted her, for whatever reason. Now… She’s thrown it all away.
“Go.” Gil’s voice is rough. Dani flinches. She mistakes him to mean ‘don’t come back’. He nods his head, towards Bright. “Follow him home. He doesn’t lock the back door. Get some saltine crackers and ginger ale. Fix this.” Gil turns around and walks to the door, with a hand on the frame he adds,” and don’t come back until you have. Okay?”
Dani nods,” yeah. I-I mean, yes sir.” This time it’s her trembling hands being shoved deep into pockets. She keeps hearing herself, her voice so harsh. Bright didn’t deserve that. She’s just like all the bullies she knows he had in school.
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“Uh, knock? Knock?” She arrives in Bright’s apartment, her hands shaking and wondering if this really is the best thing to do. His door is wide open. She takes three steps in and finds him.
The apartment is odd, cut up in a weird way that, well... it suits him. He’s somewhere in what would be considered the living room but also the kitchen. Curled up on his side, his hair covers most of his face. The fact that he’s laying on the floor isn’t the first thing that really crosses her mind but the child sitting by him in Spider-Man underoos.
“Bright?” She steps in and Bright doesn’t move. The kid tilts her head, uneven pony-tails flopping as she looks at Bright. Then she turns to Dani, looks up and down and mumbles something to Bright.
The girl smiles at her,” Malcolm says-” she changes her voice to a ridiculously deep one- “ he ‘can’t help right now. Please come back later!’” In the end, she nearly topples over laughing. Bright reaches out and pushes her stomach, only making her laugh harder.
Dani comes the rest of the way in. She puts the bags on the counter and stands to observe Bright and the kid. She seems to not mind sitting on the floor at all. In fact, she sits near Bright’s head. He’s curled in on himself, his knees up to his chest. She doesn’t mind. He mumbles something to her and she frowns, looking to Dani, and then answering Bright.
“Hey, Miss Lady Detective?” The little girl uncurls herself, leaving Bright on the floor. “I’m babysitting Mal-” Bright mumbles a cut off objection and the girl rolls her eyes. “Malcolm babysits me sometimes when my daddy has to work overtime. I have gummies,” she points, rolling up on to her tip-toes,” all the way up there in that shelf.”
The little girl walks right under the shelf,” Malcolm wants you to get them cause I’m hungry.”
“What’s your name? My name’s Dani, I work-”
“He told me.” She says it so matter-of-factly that Dani does a double-take. “Can you get my gummies?”
Dani takes a deep breath and keeps moving. She reaches up and for once is thankful for Bright’s barren take on life. The only thing in the cabinet looks like food for a little girl. There’s also only one box of gummies.
“Thanks!” She grabs a bag and runs back to Bright, sliding on her knees. She rolls on to her side, spreading her gummies out on the floor. She talks to Bright, Dani can’t hear what they’re saying, but she can tell the girl is helping. Bright reaches out, taking one of the gummies and popping it in his mouth.
“Malcolm!” She pouts but only for a moment, he reaches out and pulls her against him. He tickles her, both of them smiling and wiggling on the floor as he mercilessly tickles her sides. When he lets go it’s like the whole mood shifts. The smile is gone from both of them. The girls seems more upset than Bright.
She stands up, moving away from Bright. She picks up her trash, throwing what’s left in her mouth. She brings the trash to a little trash can by the island. She doesn’t look Dani in the eyes, she glares down at the floor. “His brain is sad today. That means he won’t eat. So, he has to lay on the floor so that his head doesn’t think it’s empty. He falls over when his head thinks it’s empty.”
Dani smiles, kneeling down on her knees. “What’s your name?”
The girls frown at Dani for a long minute. “Max.”
“Okay, Max, here’s the plan.” Dani motions up to the bag on the counter. “We’re going to get our buddy Br-Malcolm up on the bed. He’ll eat a couple of crackers and me and you… We can watch that new Spider-Man movie. How does that sound?”
Max looks hesitant.
Dani sighs,” look, Max. I yelled at Malcolm today, it was mean. I shouldn’t have done that but he’s my friend.” The affectionate term seems weird but still fitting. “I hurt him today-”
“You scared him,” Max looks up at her with these big sad eyes. “He’s only got two friends, Miss Dani. Me and you.”
Dani sighs,” yeah. Well, that’s why I need your help.” Dani glances over at Malcolm,” think you can pour some of this ginger ale in a cup? I’m gonna get our buddy up on the bed.”
Max glances at Malcolm. “Make sure he puts the mouth guard in.” She tuts her little head and moves to grab the ginger ale.
Dani takes a deep breath. This is either going to go well or just really, really bad.