Rank And File (62)
Title: Rank And File
Fandom: Crossing Jordan
Characters: Matt Seely, Nigel Townsend
Prompt: 062. Spring
Word Count: 371
Rating: T
Summary: Matt and Nigel talk.
Author's Notes: For vedakai, from way too long ago. *hugs*
They'd left the morgue in silence, and for once it wasn't because he'd pissed off his companion into silent treatment. Matt was at his politest, actually, still functioning on autopilot as his mind was a million miles away from the driver's seat.
He couldn't remember going down to the garage to his car, he couldn't even remember driving at all, but he remembers Mr. Brady. Mr. Brady, the asshole who had nodded to confirm that the body they showed was his daughter. He couldn't even hang up for the five seconds it would have taken to say yes, couldn't stop haggling prices with the God-damned funeral home long enough to look at his kid-
"Matt?" Nigel's voice snapped his train of thought like a twig.
He shook his head, realizing they were sitting at a stop sign, and hit the gas harder than he should have. They roared across the deserted intersection, headed for the boyfriend's address they'd found on Brittni Brady's computer. He was speeding a bit, not like it really mattered. He could feel Nigel watching him, and it only made him focus harder on the road.
"Was-" Nigel started, and Matt thought to himself that it was probably the first time Nigel had ever hesitated before speaking.
"Was what?" He asked, giving in to the conversation he knew was coming.
"Was your dad...like that?"
He didn't hesitate. "No."
"No," Nigel repeated, but it wasn't a question.
"Not at all. He wasn't like that at all," Matt glanced at him as they hit a red light. "My dad...it's complicated."
"Like how complicated?"
"Are you asking because you're interested, or so you and Bug can have something to gossip about later?"
That was unnecessarily harsh, Matt admitted to himself; still, Nigel had the grace to look embarrassed at the accusation. He didn't look away though.
"Look, I know we've never been the closest of mates, but…I genuinely want to know."
"Why?"
Nigel shrugged, finally straightening out in his seat to look at the road ahead of them. "I just…know a thing or two about complicated fathers, alright?"
Matt wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he didn't. Instead, he took a deep breath, trying to decide where to begin.
Fandom: Crossing Jordan
Characters: Matt Seely, Nigel Townsend
Prompt: 062. Spring
Word Count: 371
Rating: T
Summary: Matt and Nigel talk.
Author's Notes: For vedakai, from way too long ago. *hugs*
They'd left the morgue in silence, and for once it wasn't because he'd pissed off his companion into silent treatment. Matt was at his politest, actually, still functioning on autopilot as his mind was a million miles away from the driver's seat.
He couldn't remember going down to the garage to his car, he couldn't even remember driving at all, but he remembers Mr. Brady. Mr. Brady, the asshole who had nodded to confirm that the body they showed was his daughter. He couldn't even hang up for the five seconds it would have taken to say yes, couldn't stop haggling prices with the God-damned funeral home long enough to look at his kid-
"Matt?" Nigel's voice snapped his train of thought like a twig.
He shook his head, realizing they were sitting at a stop sign, and hit the gas harder than he should have. They roared across the deserted intersection, headed for the boyfriend's address they'd found on Brittni Brady's computer. He was speeding a bit, not like it really mattered. He could feel Nigel watching him, and it only made him focus harder on the road.
"Was-" Nigel started, and Matt thought to himself that it was probably the first time Nigel had ever hesitated before speaking.
"Was what?" He asked, giving in to the conversation he knew was coming.
"Was your dad...like that?"
He didn't hesitate. "No."
"No," Nigel repeated, but it wasn't a question.
"Not at all. He wasn't like that at all," Matt glanced at him as they hit a red light. "My dad...it's complicated."
"Like how complicated?"
"Are you asking because you're interested, or so you and Bug can have something to gossip about later?"
That was unnecessarily harsh, Matt admitted to himself; still, Nigel had the grace to look embarrassed at the accusation. He didn't look away though.
"Look, I know we've never been the closest of mates, but…I genuinely want to know."
"Why?"
Nigel shrugged, finally straightening out in his seat to look at the road ahead of them. "I just…know a thing or two about complicated fathers, alright?"
Matt wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he didn't. Instead, he took a deep breath, trying to decide where to begin.