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tamingthemuseTitle: Old Habits [ficlet]
Fandom: Rookie Blue
Prompt: 365 – torpor
Warning: Post Bitter Pill, general spoilers for Season 5.
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~680
Summary: Nick expects to find Gail at the Penny, but she's already gone when he gets there. So he goes home to leftovers and calls Andy instead.
Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.
oxoxo
Nick hangs around the station for a while after he's off duty. He helped Swarek finish logging all the Midnight heroin they'd tracked down into evidence and watched as Chloe left, followed by Andy (with the omelet he'd brought her in a Tupperware container this morning), then Dov and Gail. After the argument or misunderstanding or whatever the hell it was they had this morning, Nick isn't exactly looking forward to meeting up with Gail anytime soon.
In all honesty, she's been acting strange for quite a few weeks. Things were fine between them when he first got back from his undercover assignment – they were great, even – but Gail's gotten suspicious and kind of clingy and self-conscious in a way she's never been. He's just tired of the constant drama that she's been surrounding herself with lately. It makes him miss the time he spent with Andy up in Fort Erie; even on a case it was a lot less stress.
By the time he makes it over to the Penny, Dov's there by himself, a nearly-empty pitcher on the table in front of him.
“Bad day?” Nick asks, bracing his hands on the back of the chair across from Dov.
Dov snorts and tops off his glass. “You could say that.”
“Weren't you supposed to have that movie-in-the-park thing with Price?”
“Yeah. Don't ask.”
Taking the hint, Nick glances around the bar. “You seen Gail?”
Dov dips his head in a nod. “She was here. Last I saw, she was talking to Detective Blackstone at the bar.”
Nick looks at the clock above the bar. Their shift's been over for close to two hours. Surely Gail would've called if she was headed back to their apartment. “Okay, well...” He gives Dov a once-over. “You need a ride home or something?”
“Nah,” Dov says, shaking his head. “I'm good here.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
At Dov's mock salute, Nick gives him a nod goodbye and makes his way to the door. He checks his phone before he climbs into his car, but he has no missed calls or messages.
When he gets home, all the lights are off and there's no sign of Gail. Nick kicks off his shoes by the door and wanders into the kitchen, scrounging up a carton of chicken-fried rice from the fridge and a bottle of beer before heading back into the living room. He settles on the couch and turns on the TV, flipping through the channels until he stumbles across an old episode Kids in the Hall. He smirks and shoves his fork into his rice so he can dig his phone out of his pocket. Thumbing down his list of recent calls, his smirk softens into a smile as he highlights the name and puts the phone between his ear and shoulder.
The line rings three times before Andy answers. “Hey. What's up?”
“Kids in the Hall on Comedy Gold,” he says, in lieu of a greeting. “Gavin's wondering if he can eat a whole Bible.”
Andy laughs in his ear and he settles further into the cushions. He wonders why things can't be this easy with Gail.
“What are you doing Saturday?” he asks.
“Nothing,” Andy says with a chuckle. “Why?”
“I haven't biked Beltline in a while...”
“Me, either. Saturday?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds great!” Nick doesn't think he's ever heard Gail sound as excited as Andy does at the prospect of a day spent in the outdoors.
“It's a date.”
There's a brief pause then Andy says, “Yeah.” He's pretty sure he's not imagining the smile he can hear in her voice.
“Good.” Nick eats his cold Chinese and drinks his beer and laughs with Andy over the phone as they watch reruns of an old sketch-show; and it's better than good – it's great.
He doesn't let himself feel guilty for being glad that Gail's out wherever and that he doesn't miss her at all.
Fandom: Rookie Blue
Prompt: 365 – torpor
Warning: Post Bitter Pill, general spoilers for Season 5.
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~680
Summary: Nick expects to find Gail at the Penny, but she's already gone when he gets there. So he goes home to leftovers and calls Andy instead.
Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.
Nick hangs around the station for a while after he's off duty. He helped Swarek finish logging all the Midnight heroin they'd tracked down into evidence and watched as Chloe left, followed by Andy (with the omelet he'd brought her in a Tupperware container this morning), then Dov and Gail. After the argument or misunderstanding or whatever the hell it was they had this morning, Nick isn't exactly looking forward to meeting up with Gail anytime soon.
In all honesty, she's been acting strange for quite a few weeks. Things were fine between them when he first got back from his undercover assignment – they were great, even – but Gail's gotten suspicious and kind of clingy and self-conscious in a way she's never been. He's just tired of the constant drama that she's been surrounding herself with lately. It makes him miss the time he spent with Andy up in Fort Erie; even on a case it was a lot less stress.
By the time he makes it over to the Penny, Dov's there by himself, a nearly-empty pitcher on the table in front of him.
“Bad day?” Nick asks, bracing his hands on the back of the chair across from Dov.
Dov snorts and tops off his glass. “You could say that.”
“Weren't you supposed to have that movie-in-the-park thing with Price?”
“Yeah. Don't ask.”
Taking the hint, Nick glances around the bar. “You seen Gail?”
Dov dips his head in a nod. “She was here. Last I saw, she was talking to Detective Blackstone at the bar.”
Nick looks at the clock above the bar. Their shift's been over for close to two hours. Surely Gail would've called if she was headed back to their apartment. “Okay, well...” He gives Dov a once-over. “You need a ride home or something?”
“Nah,” Dov says, shaking his head. “I'm good here.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
At Dov's mock salute, Nick gives him a nod goodbye and makes his way to the door. He checks his phone before he climbs into his car, but he has no missed calls or messages.
When he gets home, all the lights are off and there's no sign of Gail. Nick kicks off his shoes by the door and wanders into the kitchen, scrounging up a carton of chicken-fried rice from the fridge and a bottle of beer before heading back into the living room. He settles on the couch and turns on the TV, flipping through the channels until he stumbles across an old episode Kids in the Hall. He smirks and shoves his fork into his rice so he can dig his phone out of his pocket. Thumbing down his list of recent calls, his smirk softens into a smile as he highlights the name and puts the phone between his ear and shoulder.
The line rings three times before Andy answers. “Hey. What's up?”
“Kids in the Hall on Comedy Gold,” he says, in lieu of a greeting. “Gavin's wondering if he can eat a whole Bible.”
Andy laughs in his ear and he settles further into the cushions. He wonders why things can't be this easy with Gail.
“What are you doing Saturday?” he asks.
“Nothing,” Andy says with a chuckle. “Why?”
“I haven't biked Beltline in a while...”
“Me, either. Saturday?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds great!” Nick doesn't think he's ever heard Gail sound as excited as Andy does at the prospect of a day spent in the outdoors.
“It's a date.”
There's a brief pause then Andy says, “Yeah.” He's pretty sure he's not imagining the smile he can hear in her voice.
“Good.” Nick eats his cold Chinese and drinks his beer and laughs with Andy over the phone as they watch reruns of an old sketch-show; and it's better than good – it's great.
He doesn't let himself feel guilty for being glad that Gail's out wherever and that he doesn't miss her at all.
