(no subject)
Ahahaha. So earlier this week I had a a few crappy days, and apparently when that happens I write a lot. Just, you know, not the happy sort of crack I usually write. Also. Everything I know about the police I learned from buddy cop movie movies. No lie. (Okay, well, maybe a little one. But everything I learned and have applied to this sad attempt at fic I learned from buddy cop movie movies.) Possibly the start of something bigger, who knows?
The day Brian calls him into his office Gerard knows something's up. Brian's got his "Do not fuck with me" face on, and he only uses it when he's preparing for a fight. An epic battle of wills, and Gerard's really the only one who can give him that.
"New guy transferring in." Brian doesn't look up from the papers spread on his desk. "Frank Iero, from the 23rd? He's going to be partnered with you."
Gerard opens his mouth to protest, but Brian looks up then, and he's smiling. Gerard flashes back to that shark documentary Ray suckered him into watching the other day. Fucking Discovery Channel and their fucking Shark Week.
"Brian - "
"Either make nice with him or get used to riding a desk because I am not sending you out without a partner, Gerard."
"Ray - "
"Already has a partner. Yes, I know." Brian's not budging and Gerard can feel that fine edge of panic seeping in, coloring everything with red.
"Just. Give him a chance, Gerard." Brian says, and he looks tired. Worn down a little. "He's got a good reputation, solid work."
Gerard can hear the things Brian's not saying, and almost smiles. It's no secret that Brian gets stuck with the misfits. The weirdos and freaks who are too good at their jobs to get rid of, but too outside the box to parade in front of the public eye.
"Yeah? That's what they said about Pelissier and Wilson."
Brian winces, and Gerard feels a flash of guilt. It's never pretty when one of theirs goes bad, even worse when they drag someone down with them.
"Brian - "
"Just give him a chance." Brian repeats, and it's not Gerard's boss talking, it's Gerard's friend, and fucking Brian knows he won't be able to say no to that.
"One week." Gerard says, like a challenge.
Brian's eyes narrow, and Gerard's facing his boss again. "Two."
Gerard tilts his head to the side and considers before nodding. "Two weeks."
Gerard's broken people in less time than that, but it's always nice to have a goal in mind to work towards.
====
====
Wentz is sitting on the edge of Patrick's desk when Gerard goes back out into the bullpen, twirling a pen around his fingers and talking about god knows what. He's smiling, and that's never a good sign. Patrick's doing his best to ignore Wentz, reaching around him to grab folders and leaning to the side to see his computer screen.
Ray and Bob are out checking on possible leads for a case they've been working for almost a solid month, and Gerard...Gerard has paperwork that needs to be done.
Brian refuses to let him work a case on his own, says it's too dangerous with the way Gerard likes to operate, but he's been sending him out with Ray and Bob, and sometimes Patrick and Wentz when they need it.
Wentz lights up when he notices Gerard and Gerard sighs. It's not like he hates Wentz? He just really, really doesn't like the guy. He tries to make an effort though, because Patrick seems to like him and Mikey gets his bitchface on when Gerard starts complaining about him. And as much as Gerard wants to kick Wentz's ass sometimes, he doesn't.
Whatever happened between Mikey and Wentz isn't exactly clear, even to the most hardcore gossip in the station, and when Mikey doesn't want to talk, he doesn't. Not even to Gerard.
"Heard you're getting a new partner." Wentz calls, and he's smirking. "Fifty says he goes crying to Schechter in a week."
Patrick looks up then, shooting Gerard an apologetic look because he knows how badly Gerard wants to punch Pete in the face sometimes.
Gerard smiles, and it's not a pleasant one. "Not this time, Wentz. I promised Brian a full two weeks."
Wentz whistles, impressed. "He pull the concerned boss card again?"
"No, Pete. I pulled the 'I will kick your ass if you don't do your fucking job.' card." Brian says from behind Gerard, and Wentz's eyes go wide, smirk vanishing. "Get back to work before I put you on traffic detail."
Wentz opens his mouth to protest, but Patrick punches him in the leg, hissing at him to “Shut the fuck up already. Jesus, Pete.”
Gerard bites back a smile as Wentz slinks off to his own desk limping a little because for such a small guy, Patrick's a hell of a lot stronger than he looks.
He looks over his shoulder, but the door to Brian's office is already closed.
====
====
Frank Iero comes in the next week, and he's got attitude to spare.
Gerard's seen it enough times to recognize it for what it is, and he's not impressed.
Little guys like Frank puff themselves up, try to give the impression that they'll fuck you up if you look at them wrong because it's the only way to get across the fact that they're not harmless. It's the little guys like Patrick that Gerard knows to look out for. The quiet ones that don't go out of their way to let you know how dangerous they really are.
Frank doesn't like him, Gerard can see it straight off. He's scowling, eyes narrowing when he sees the crap scattered across Gerard's desk. Action figures and comic books, half-finished doodles Gerard drew while on the phone talking to witnesses or waiting for a lead to pan out.
Nothing that shows Gerard really is a professional, that he takes his job seriously. That he's competent and properly sanctioned to carry a badge and gun. To go out on the streets and do his sworn duty.
Gerard doesn't say anything to make him think otherwise. He doesn't expect Frank to stick around any longer than the other guys Brian's brought in, and he kind of likes having a reputation as the head freak in Brian's little circus sideshow.
"Gerard Way," he says, and holds his hand out for Frank to take. "Looks like we're going to be partners."
Frank's spent the last twenty minutes in Brian's office, so he's probably gotten the speech about working with Gerard and the others, that it takes a while, but they're all good guys. That they're worth working with, not against. Brian has a list of speeches he gives to the new guys whenever they transfer in, and Gerard knows all of them by heart.
"Yeah," Frank says, and shakes his hand. "Looks like."
====
====
Their first case together is a string of robberies, high-end stuff. Jewelry stores for the most part, and Gerard's a little surprised at the way Frank works the victims, bright smiles and polite conversation.
He gets them going on tangents about pets and oh, isn't that a cute little poodle you have. He gets them to open up, and they chat about inconsequential things while Gerard prowls the room. Looking for clues, evidence, whatever he can find, but mostly getting a feel for the place. He takes in camera placements, angle of sight. Gerard's good at that shit, which is kind of surprising, but it's true. Apparently art school was good for more than one thing.
Brian must have told Frank what some of Gerard's strengths were because it's like he knows just what to do. Frank keeps the victims and the witnesses distracted while Gerard explores, poking at broken locks and shattered displays, reconstructing the crime in his head as he goes.
Later, when they're on the way back to the station to write up their reports, Frank looks over at him.
Gerard can tell he's curious, dying to know, but Gerard doesn't take the bait. He watches the buildings stream past, pretends to be thinking about something when he's really waiting to see how long it's going to take before Frank cracks.
"How'd you get this job?" Frank finally asks, meaning how did Gerard end up in Major Crimes when by all accounts he had a real future going for him elsewhere in the department at one time. Everyone knows that, everyone's heard the rumors even if they don't have any proof to back it up.
Gerard shrugs and looks over at him. "I don't know, what's the rumor mill saying this week? If it's the one about eating kittens, definitely not true."
Frank snorts, mouth curving into a faint smile. "Yeah?"
Gerard nods, looks back out the passenger window. "I'm allergic to cats."
Frank laughs then, and Gerard glances over to see him smiling. "Well goddamn, there goes that theory."
====
====
Ray and Bob invite them out for drinks after work at the end of the week, and Gerard can see Frank wavering. Not one of them yet, and not exactly a stranger. He maybe likes Frank a little, respects his work ethic and the way he handles people, if nothing else. So he gives him a nudge, and Frank comes along.
Mikey comes too, of course, but Patrick and Wentz beg off saying they need to work on a case and it's just the five of them.
They go to a local sports bar even though Bob's really the only one who knows anything about sports, and take up a back booth and just relax. Gerard sticks to sodas, and Mikey does the same. No sense in tempting fate since they share the same genes, after all. Ray sips at the one beer he allows himself, and Bob smokes and pretends to watch the game on the television over the bar while Frank starts Ray talking about guitars.
It's a little hard not to notice Ray's thing for guitars, especially when he keeps a slightly battered acoustic at his desk. He makes a half-hearted attempt to keep it out of sight in case someone from the press comes in for an article or something, leaning against the wall next to the giant potted plant someone brought in a few years back as a gag gift and just somehow never got thrown out.
Gerard tries not to notice the way Frank's entire demeanor changes when he and Ray really get going, the way the wariness and suspicion fades away, but it's pretty much impossible.
He looks over at Mikey at one point and raises an eyebrow and Mikey nods. Mikey works Computer Crimes and he knows how to get around just about any system he wants to. Police records are easy.
====
====
Things come to a head when Frank and Gerard get called out to a jewelry store in the process of being robbed and come face to face with the robbers. Frank has to shoot one before he kills the store owner, brings him down hard and fast, but the other one ducks behind a display before either one of them can stop him. He's high on something, Gerard can't tell what, probably a cocktail of some kind, and Frank.
Fucking Frank's in the guy's line of fire.
The guy has Frank in his sights and Frank can't move or he'll get a bullet between the eyes, and it's up to Gerard to get him out of it alive.
Gerard tries talking to the guy like he's a wounded animal, voice soft and soothing, his own gun holstered at his side. Trying to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible, and the guy watches him, swaying a little like Gerard's a snake charmer working his magic.
He can tell he's close, so fucking close to getting the guy to lay his gun down, to surrendering, when some fucking moron on their way to the scene comes careening down the street, siren going. The guy panics. Jerks back just out of Gerard's reach and brings his gun up and Frank's in the line of fire.
Smooth and in control, Gerard takes that one step to the side that gives him the best angle he's likely to get and draws his gun. He can't put himself between Frank and the guy like they do in the movies no matter how much he'd like to because he wants to go home at the end of the day.
He wants to go home at the end of the day, and even if he didn't, his mom and dad, and most importantly, Mikey wants him to go home at the end of the day. It's always his first priority these days, wanting to go home alive, when it used to be he just wanted his fellow officers to go home alive.
There's a small, dark part of himself that hates it, makes him think he's some kind of coward for not putting it all on the line, but then he's always felt like that. It doesn't change the fact that Gerard's got a job to do, that he's supposed to protect people from harm, even if it means he can't look at himself in the mirror some days.
Gerard's still trying, though. Still talking in that calm voice, trying to talk the guy down, but it's not working. He knows it's not, can see it in the guy's eyes the moment he decides to shoot, but Gerard's faster.
Two shots, one in the shoulder, one in the chest and the guy goes down.
It's not like it is in the movies, it never is. Louder than fuck, and the guy's down, screaming and bleeding, but it's not over yet.
Frank wants to go home at the end of the day, the jewelry store owner and his customers in the corner want to go home at the end of the day, and the fucking moron outside in the patrol car wants to go home at the end of the day.
Gerard moves fast. Steps up to the guy and kicks his weapon away and holsters his own as he drops down next to him to do what he can until the ambulance gets there. He's yelling over his shoulder at Frank, at the uniforms spilling into the building while he puts pressure on the guy's shoulder, Frank jostling him as he does the same for the chest wound, blood hot and slick on his hands.
====
====
Frank finds him later, sitting on the curb beside one of the ambulances, feeling tired and empty. Cold, and he's got one of those scratchy blankets out of the ambulance around his shoulders, a tiny bandage on his forehead from stray glass when the guy had taken a potshot at them after they first got there. There's dried blood under his nails and Gerard's never hated his job more.
"Hey," Frank says, and he has to cough to clear his throat. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my life."
It sounds melodramatic as hell, saying it like that, and Gerard snorts. When he looks up he sees the same thought reflected on Frank's face.
"I did what I had to do." Gerard's skin feels too tight, pulse pounding in his ears. "That's all."
Frank frowns and looks like he's going to say something else, but Ray and Bob show up, Brian hot on their heels and Gerard gets to his feet. His body feels heavy, weighted down, but he gets his feet moving anyway and goes to meet them.
Frank doesn't follow.
====
====
They put him on administrative leave after that, regular procedure to make sure it was a clean shoot, and as much as Gerard hates it, he knows it's necessary. They make him see the department shrink, and she's cool and professional.
Gerard likes her, appreciates that she doesn't sugar coat things the way the old department shrink used to. She doesn't handle him with kid gloves, but she doesn't try to break him to see what makes him tick, either.
She clears him, tells him he did what he had to do in order to protect the lives of others, to do his sworn duty, and he gives her a look. She's a spitfire though, and gives him one right back. Makes him promise to see her again the next week, and he does.
====
====
Gerard goes in to see Brian his first day back, and Brian's watching him.
"Frank's lasted an entire month." Gerard says, and looks out the office window towards the bullpen.
Wentz is sitting on Patrick's desk again, and Patrick's leaning back in his chair smiling at whatever he's saying. Ray and Bob look like they're hard at work, and Frank...Frank's sitting at his desk staring at his computer screen. Gerard doesn't think he's getting a lot of work done, not with the screensaver running.
Brian rolls his eyes, and some of the tenseness melts out of him. "That's because you were on leave for most of it. You didn't have a chance to scare him off."
Gerard shrugs, fingers tapping nervously on his knee. "He's not a bad guy."
Brian tips his head to the side, and waits.
"You were right, okay?" Gerard says, and it comes out far more petulant than he'd intended. "And fuck you, I don't scare them off."
Brian laughs then, really laughs, and Gerard scowls, but he's not really mad. It's nice to hear Brian laugh once in a while.
"Right, right. So that time with Urie?"
Gerard shrugs again, and looks away, watches Patrick shove Wentz off his desk and onto the floor, Patrick laughing the whole time.
"Like he wasn't better off working Computer Crimes with Mikey. You know he was wasted here, Brian."
Brian hmmms, because they both know Brendon would have burned out in Major Crimes. He's a good kid. Bright, talented, but not meant for the shit they deal with.
Computer Crimes isn't exactly better, but it's something Brendon can handle. Something that won't kill him by degrees, not with Ross, Smith, and Walker around. Not with Mikey looking out for them the way Brian wouldn't have been able to.
Brian sighs and points at his office door. "Go. Protect the civilians. Get Frank to stop fucking brooding, I don't care. Just get the hell out of here already."
Gerard flashes him a smile and goes.
The day Brian calls him into his office Gerard knows something's up. Brian's got his "Do not fuck with me" face on, and he only uses it when he's preparing for a fight. An epic battle of wills, and Gerard's really the only one who can give him that.
"New guy transferring in." Brian doesn't look up from the papers spread on his desk. "Frank Iero, from the 23rd? He's going to be partnered with you."
Gerard opens his mouth to protest, but Brian looks up then, and he's smiling. Gerard flashes back to that shark documentary Ray suckered him into watching the other day. Fucking Discovery Channel and their fucking Shark Week.
"Brian - "
"Either make nice with him or get used to riding a desk because I am not sending you out without a partner, Gerard."
"Ray - "
"Already has a partner. Yes, I know." Brian's not budging and Gerard can feel that fine edge of panic seeping in, coloring everything with red.
"Just. Give him a chance, Gerard." Brian says, and he looks tired. Worn down a little. "He's got a good reputation, solid work."
Gerard can hear the things Brian's not saying, and almost smiles. It's no secret that Brian gets stuck with the misfits. The weirdos and freaks who are too good at their jobs to get rid of, but too outside the box to parade in front of the public eye.
"Yeah? That's what they said about Pelissier and Wilson."
Brian winces, and Gerard feels a flash of guilt. It's never pretty when one of theirs goes bad, even worse when they drag someone down with them.
"Brian - "
"Just give him a chance." Brian repeats, and it's not Gerard's boss talking, it's Gerard's friend, and fucking Brian knows he won't be able to say no to that.
"One week." Gerard says, like a challenge.
Brian's eyes narrow, and Gerard's facing his boss again. "Two."
Gerard tilts his head to the side and considers before nodding. "Two weeks."
Gerard's broken people in less time than that, but it's always nice to have a goal in mind to work towards.
====
====
Wentz is sitting on the edge of Patrick's desk when Gerard goes back out into the bullpen, twirling a pen around his fingers and talking about god knows what. He's smiling, and that's never a good sign. Patrick's doing his best to ignore Wentz, reaching around him to grab folders and leaning to the side to see his computer screen.
Ray and Bob are out checking on possible leads for a case they've been working for almost a solid month, and Gerard...Gerard has paperwork that needs to be done.
Brian refuses to let him work a case on his own, says it's too dangerous with the way Gerard likes to operate, but he's been sending him out with Ray and Bob, and sometimes Patrick and Wentz when they need it.
Wentz lights up when he notices Gerard and Gerard sighs. It's not like he hates Wentz? He just really, really doesn't like the guy. He tries to make an effort though, because Patrick seems to like him and Mikey gets his bitchface on when Gerard starts complaining about him. And as much as Gerard wants to kick Wentz's ass sometimes, he doesn't.
Whatever happened between Mikey and Wentz isn't exactly clear, even to the most hardcore gossip in the station, and when Mikey doesn't want to talk, he doesn't. Not even to Gerard.
"Heard you're getting a new partner." Wentz calls, and he's smirking. "Fifty says he goes crying to Schechter in a week."
Patrick looks up then, shooting Gerard an apologetic look because he knows how badly Gerard wants to punch Pete in the face sometimes.
Gerard smiles, and it's not a pleasant one. "Not this time, Wentz. I promised Brian a full two weeks."
Wentz whistles, impressed. "He pull the concerned boss card again?"
"No, Pete. I pulled the 'I will kick your ass if you don't do your fucking job.' card." Brian says from behind Gerard, and Wentz's eyes go wide, smirk vanishing. "Get back to work before I put you on traffic detail."
Wentz opens his mouth to protest, but Patrick punches him in the leg, hissing at him to “Shut the fuck up already. Jesus, Pete.”
Gerard bites back a smile as Wentz slinks off to his own desk limping a little because for such a small guy, Patrick's a hell of a lot stronger than he looks.
He looks over his shoulder, but the door to Brian's office is already closed.
====
====
Frank Iero comes in the next week, and he's got attitude to spare.
Gerard's seen it enough times to recognize it for what it is, and he's not impressed.
Little guys like Frank puff themselves up, try to give the impression that they'll fuck you up if you look at them wrong because it's the only way to get across the fact that they're not harmless. It's the little guys like Patrick that Gerard knows to look out for. The quiet ones that don't go out of their way to let you know how dangerous they really are.
Frank doesn't like him, Gerard can see it straight off. He's scowling, eyes narrowing when he sees the crap scattered across Gerard's desk. Action figures and comic books, half-finished doodles Gerard drew while on the phone talking to witnesses or waiting for a lead to pan out.
Nothing that shows Gerard really is a professional, that he takes his job seriously. That he's competent and properly sanctioned to carry a badge and gun. To go out on the streets and do his sworn duty.
Gerard doesn't say anything to make him think otherwise. He doesn't expect Frank to stick around any longer than the other guys Brian's brought in, and he kind of likes having a reputation as the head freak in Brian's little circus sideshow.
"Gerard Way," he says, and holds his hand out for Frank to take. "Looks like we're going to be partners."
Frank's spent the last twenty minutes in Brian's office, so he's probably gotten the speech about working with Gerard and the others, that it takes a while, but they're all good guys. That they're worth working with, not against. Brian has a list of speeches he gives to the new guys whenever they transfer in, and Gerard knows all of them by heart.
"Yeah," Frank says, and shakes his hand. "Looks like."
====
====
Their first case together is a string of robberies, high-end stuff. Jewelry stores for the most part, and Gerard's a little surprised at the way Frank works the victims, bright smiles and polite conversation.
He gets them going on tangents about pets and oh, isn't that a cute little poodle you have. He gets them to open up, and they chat about inconsequential things while Gerard prowls the room. Looking for clues, evidence, whatever he can find, but mostly getting a feel for the place. He takes in camera placements, angle of sight. Gerard's good at that shit, which is kind of surprising, but it's true. Apparently art school was good for more than one thing.
Brian must have told Frank what some of Gerard's strengths were because it's like he knows just what to do. Frank keeps the victims and the witnesses distracted while Gerard explores, poking at broken locks and shattered displays, reconstructing the crime in his head as he goes.
Later, when they're on the way back to the station to write up their reports, Frank looks over at him.
Gerard can tell he's curious, dying to know, but Gerard doesn't take the bait. He watches the buildings stream past, pretends to be thinking about something when he's really waiting to see how long it's going to take before Frank cracks.
"How'd you get this job?" Frank finally asks, meaning how did Gerard end up in Major Crimes when by all accounts he had a real future going for him elsewhere in the department at one time. Everyone knows that, everyone's heard the rumors even if they don't have any proof to back it up.
Gerard shrugs and looks over at him. "I don't know, what's the rumor mill saying this week? If it's the one about eating kittens, definitely not true."
Frank snorts, mouth curving into a faint smile. "Yeah?"
Gerard nods, looks back out the passenger window. "I'm allergic to cats."
Frank laughs then, and Gerard glances over to see him smiling. "Well goddamn, there goes that theory."
====
====
Ray and Bob invite them out for drinks after work at the end of the week, and Gerard can see Frank wavering. Not one of them yet, and not exactly a stranger. He maybe likes Frank a little, respects his work ethic and the way he handles people, if nothing else. So he gives him a nudge, and Frank comes along.
Mikey comes too, of course, but Patrick and Wentz beg off saying they need to work on a case and it's just the five of them.
They go to a local sports bar even though Bob's really the only one who knows anything about sports, and take up a back booth and just relax. Gerard sticks to sodas, and Mikey does the same. No sense in tempting fate since they share the same genes, after all. Ray sips at the one beer he allows himself, and Bob smokes and pretends to watch the game on the television over the bar while Frank starts Ray talking about guitars.
It's a little hard not to notice Ray's thing for guitars, especially when he keeps a slightly battered acoustic at his desk. He makes a half-hearted attempt to keep it out of sight in case someone from the press comes in for an article or something, leaning against the wall next to the giant potted plant someone brought in a few years back as a gag gift and just somehow never got thrown out.
Gerard tries not to notice the way Frank's entire demeanor changes when he and Ray really get going, the way the wariness and suspicion fades away, but it's pretty much impossible.
He looks over at Mikey at one point and raises an eyebrow and Mikey nods. Mikey works Computer Crimes and he knows how to get around just about any system he wants to. Police records are easy.
====
====
Things come to a head when Frank and Gerard get called out to a jewelry store in the process of being robbed and come face to face with the robbers. Frank has to shoot one before he kills the store owner, brings him down hard and fast, but the other one ducks behind a display before either one of them can stop him. He's high on something, Gerard can't tell what, probably a cocktail of some kind, and Frank.
Fucking Frank's in the guy's line of fire.
The guy has Frank in his sights and Frank can't move or he'll get a bullet between the eyes, and it's up to Gerard to get him out of it alive.
Gerard tries talking to the guy like he's a wounded animal, voice soft and soothing, his own gun holstered at his side. Trying to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible, and the guy watches him, swaying a little like Gerard's a snake charmer working his magic.
He can tell he's close, so fucking close to getting the guy to lay his gun down, to surrendering, when some fucking moron on their way to the scene comes careening down the street, siren going. The guy panics. Jerks back just out of Gerard's reach and brings his gun up and Frank's in the line of fire.
Smooth and in control, Gerard takes that one step to the side that gives him the best angle he's likely to get and draws his gun. He can't put himself between Frank and the guy like they do in the movies no matter how much he'd like to because he wants to go home at the end of the day.
He wants to go home at the end of the day, and even if he didn't, his mom and dad, and most importantly, Mikey wants him to go home at the end of the day. It's always his first priority these days, wanting to go home alive, when it used to be he just wanted his fellow officers to go home alive.
There's a small, dark part of himself that hates it, makes him think he's some kind of coward for not putting it all on the line, but then he's always felt like that. It doesn't change the fact that Gerard's got a job to do, that he's supposed to protect people from harm, even if it means he can't look at himself in the mirror some days.
Gerard's still trying, though. Still talking in that calm voice, trying to talk the guy down, but it's not working. He knows it's not, can see it in the guy's eyes the moment he decides to shoot, but Gerard's faster.
Two shots, one in the shoulder, one in the chest and the guy goes down.
It's not like it is in the movies, it never is. Louder than fuck, and the guy's down, screaming and bleeding, but it's not over yet.
Frank wants to go home at the end of the day, the jewelry store owner and his customers in the corner want to go home at the end of the day, and the fucking moron outside in the patrol car wants to go home at the end of the day.
Gerard moves fast. Steps up to the guy and kicks his weapon away and holsters his own as he drops down next to him to do what he can until the ambulance gets there. He's yelling over his shoulder at Frank, at the uniforms spilling into the building while he puts pressure on the guy's shoulder, Frank jostling him as he does the same for the chest wound, blood hot and slick on his hands.
====
====
Frank finds him later, sitting on the curb beside one of the ambulances, feeling tired and empty. Cold, and he's got one of those scratchy blankets out of the ambulance around his shoulders, a tiny bandage on his forehead from stray glass when the guy had taken a potshot at them after they first got there. There's dried blood under his nails and Gerard's never hated his job more.
"Hey," Frank says, and he has to cough to clear his throat. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my life."
It sounds melodramatic as hell, saying it like that, and Gerard snorts. When he looks up he sees the same thought reflected on Frank's face.
"I did what I had to do." Gerard's skin feels too tight, pulse pounding in his ears. "That's all."
Frank frowns and looks like he's going to say something else, but Ray and Bob show up, Brian hot on their heels and Gerard gets to his feet. His body feels heavy, weighted down, but he gets his feet moving anyway and goes to meet them.
Frank doesn't follow.
====
====
They put him on administrative leave after that, regular procedure to make sure it was a clean shoot, and as much as Gerard hates it, he knows it's necessary. They make him see the department shrink, and she's cool and professional.
Gerard likes her, appreciates that she doesn't sugar coat things the way the old department shrink used to. She doesn't handle him with kid gloves, but she doesn't try to break him to see what makes him tick, either.
She clears him, tells him he did what he had to do in order to protect the lives of others, to do his sworn duty, and he gives her a look. She's a spitfire though, and gives him one right back. Makes him promise to see her again the next week, and he does.
====
====
Gerard goes in to see Brian his first day back, and Brian's watching him.
"Frank's lasted an entire month." Gerard says, and looks out the office window towards the bullpen.
Wentz is sitting on Patrick's desk again, and Patrick's leaning back in his chair smiling at whatever he's saying. Ray and Bob look like they're hard at work, and Frank...Frank's sitting at his desk staring at his computer screen. Gerard doesn't think he's getting a lot of work done, not with the screensaver running.
Brian rolls his eyes, and some of the tenseness melts out of him. "That's because you were on leave for most of it. You didn't have a chance to scare him off."
Gerard shrugs, fingers tapping nervously on his knee. "He's not a bad guy."
Brian tips his head to the side, and waits.
"You were right, okay?" Gerard says, and it comes out far more petulant than he'd intended. "And fuck you, I don't scare them off."
Brian laughs then, really laughs, and Gerard scowls, but he's not really mad. It's nice to hear Brian laugh once in a while.
"Right, right. So that time with Urie?"
Gerard shrugs again, and looks away, watches Patrick shove Wentz off his desk and onto the floor, Patrick laughing the whole time.
"Like he wasn't better off working Computer Crimes with Mikey. You know he was wasted here, Brian."
Brian hmmms, because they both know Brendon would have burned out in Major Crimes. He's a good kid. Bright, talented, but not meant for the shit they deal with.
Computer Crimes isn't exactly better, but it's something Brendon can handle. Something that won't kill him by degrees, not with Ross, Smith, and Walker around. Not with Mikey looking out for them the way Brian wouldn't have been able to.
Brian sighs and points at his office door. "Go. Protect the civilians. Get Frank to stop fucking brooding, I don't care. Just get the hell out of here already."
Gerard flashes him a smile and goes.