Archive of Our Own ^beta

Something was niggling at the very edge of his conscious mind. A couple of times now he had almost grasped it, in between leaps of interconnection for the case they were currently pouring over with a fine tooth comb. But each time a new line of thought would catch him and it was gone again.

This case had them all stumped, what was the connection between the killer and victims. The victims were literally pulled off the street at random times, in different locations, with no seeming similarities at all. But surely there had to be a connection between them. Something they had in common, that they just couldn’t see.

Malcolm was going through the latest victims file for what felt like the 600th time. The only pattern was that the victims turned up a week apart on a Friday evening. Was that it? Was it literally that they just happened to be the most convenient target at the right time? The right time…was that what was significant for the killer?

“MALCOLM!” Gil’s sharp voice right next to his ear and a hand dropping on his shoulder, had him jumping and almost falling out of the chair.

“Sorry, sorry…I just…I think I might have a connection…well not for the victims, but the killer…the timing, what if that is what’s significant. Nothing to do with the actual victims at all. The timing is what it’s about, Friday evening between 6pm and 9pm…that is the kill zone right? What if…” Malcolm apologised as he launched into telling Gil what he just realised.

“Ok, but Kid, we need to take a break, grab some food, some sleep. Go home Bright,” Gil told him, squeezing his shoulder as he looked at him with a fond but concerned expression. Malcolm hated that look on Gil’s face. It usually meant he was going to make him do something he didn’t want to do, like go home and sleep.

How could he possibly sleep right now? He was right on the verge of cracking this thing. What if this was the thing that help them finally work out who was doing this and why. He couldn’t just stop. They had to stop them before they killed again. Couldn’t Gil see that he just couldn’t…

“Malcolm, go home!” Gil commanded, his face becoming stern and cranky. Malcolm really didn’t like that face either. He tried to deploy his most pleading look as he went to launch into an argument on why he should stay, but before he could start Gil just frowned at him and pointed towards the door where Dani was leaning against the door frame, a resigned expression on her face.

Great, now Dani was cranky with him too. Fantastic. This night…day…what day was it again? Anyway, it was just turning into the worst day ever. Ok, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it definitely wasn’t great.

Malcolm sighed heavily and pushed himself to his feet. Suddenly the world tilted to the right and sparkles of colour flashed across his vision. He had to grab the table to stop himself from toppling over into Gil. A sudden rush of nausea had him clenching his eyes shut and swallowing down the bile that tainted the back of his throat.

Shit, now he was definitely not getting out of leaving.

“Kid, hey, you ok?” Gil’s concerned face popped into his vision, startling him to swaying again so that he just dropped back down into his chair to avoid embarrassing himself and falling flat on his face.

He groaned softly as the world started to spin on its axis, ramping his nausea to 11. He dropped his forehead to the table and ignored the fussing around him and just breathed until it all settled again and he didn’t feel like he was going to hurl all over himself any minute.

“Have you eaten at all today? And no coffee doesn’t count,” Gil asked him sternly.

Malcolm was embarrassed at his lack of self control when a small whine escaped him at the mention of food. He gently shook his head, then cradled it in his hands as the spinning started up again and salvia flooded his mouth.

Fuck, not now, please.

“...sick,” he mumbled, trying to warn them of what was coming. He pushed himself to his feet. Clamping a hand over his mouth, willing his stomach to give him time to find a way to not make a huge mess.

Spying a waste basket against the wall, well he was pretty sure it was against the wall, it was hard to tell with the world spinning in slow loops around him. He stumbled over to it and dropped to his knees, just in time to lose his battle with his stomach into the thankfully empty bin.

“Jesus…get him some water, Powell,” Gil’s resigned voice echoed in his head as he continued to heave over the waste bin, his fingers digging into the sides trying to hold himself steady as the world continued to spin.

He felt himself starting to fall to the side as his stomach finally eased up on its clenching to purge him of everything he had eaten in the last year.

A rush of footsteps and firm hands were gripping his shoulders and easing him onto his side to lay curled on the cool linoleum.

“Oh kid,” Gil’s resigned sigh as he rubbed circles into his back had him curling further in on himself in shame.

“Here,” Dani’s gentle voice floated over him as an open bottle of water was placed down in front of him.

“Come on, let’s get you sitting at least,” Gil urged him as he felt Gil’s hands grip his shoulders again and slowly guide him up to lean against Gil’s chest.

Malcolm had his eyes closed against the slight spin the change in position had caused. After a couple of minutes of just breathing while Gil stroked at his arm and held him against his chest, he slowly opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when the spinning faded to just a vague half loop every now and then.

“You good?” Gil asked, looking down at him from his crouched spot behind him.

Malcolm had to swallow a couple times and then managed to croak out, “yeah, think so.”

Gil brought the water bottle up to his lips.

“Here, just take a sip or two to start with,” Gil coached him as he grimaced and started to turn away from the offered bottle.

“Come on, just a sip. It will help get rid of the taste,” Gil urged him, raising the edge of the bottle to his lips.

Malcolm sighed and parted his lips a little, accepting the help to take in a tiny sip, pulling his lips away as his stomach voiced its displeased thoughts on that idea.

“Ugh, just give me a minute,” Malcolm pleaded, placing a hand over his churning belly and turning his burning face away from Gil.

“Hey, it’s ok, well it’s not ok, but I got you,” Gil tried to assure him, but Malcolm couldn’t help the shame that burned across his face and neck at having to be babied because his body had betrayed him again.

He tried to pull himself away from Gil’s chest, needing to get away from his mortification and regain some dignity.

Gil’s hand moved to press against his chest, his muscles too weak to resist him, so he just gave in and slumped back against Gil and let him shuffled them around so that they were propped up by the wall as Gil sat beside him. Malcolm hung his head unable to meet any of the eyes now watching him like a hawk.

“Sorry,” he croaked out, his hands betraying his distress by shaking and refusing to still in his lap.

Malcolm snuck a quick look at Gil as he felt his arm come around his back to pull him into his side as they sat against the wall side by side.

“Kid, we just want you to be ok. I’m sorry that I didn’t notice how far you had pushed yourself,” Gil apologised as he squeezed his arm around him.

Malcolm huffed and gave him a quick glare, “I’m not five. It’s not your job to keep me functioning.”

“Yeah well, you slack on that one every now and then so we try and fill the gaps,” JT’s smirking tone coming from over by the doorway had Malcolm looking up to see the man leaning in the doorway where Dani had previously been waiting to give him a lift home. JT gave him an amused half smile as he caught his eye and nodded a greeting.

Malcolm rolled his eyes at him and huffed at him too, “not a child.”

Dani’s hand dropping onto his knee and squeezing had him startling to look up at her, where she was now crouched down in front of him holding out a hard candy on her upturned palm.

“Then stop acting like one. Here, start getting your blood sugar back up before we need to call a bus,” Dani urged him as she gestured with her palm for him to take the candy.

He slowly reached out a shaky hand to try and pick up the candy, but he was struggling to get it to cooperate with him.

Dani sighed and quickly unwrapped it for him and then with a put upon look, held the candy in front of his mouth until he opened it to accept the candy.

He felt his face and neck heat up again and ducked his head to avoid her gaze.

Gil squeezed his arm and leaned in to murmur in his ear,” it’s ok Kid, let us help you.”

Malcolm looked over to him and saw only love and understanding looking back at him. He had to swallow down the lump that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat and nodded slightly.

The soft smile that he saw on JT’s face as he flicked his gaze up to see him over Gil’s head almost did him in.

What did he do to deserve these people that treated him like he was one of them? He didn’t know and he really didn’t think he deserved it, but he did appreciate having them to help catch him when he would inevitably fall. It would take some getting used to, but one day he would be able accept that he had family here. Family that cared and would look out for him when he couldn’t.