Kintsugi

[Nox]

I suppose living with an observant caring person was strange and it had been a while since I lived with Dorian, but he noticed the changes. I'm sure others did too, but no one took it upon themselves to say anything. Fear, or embarrassing me whatever the reason didn't matter but Dorian pulled me aside one afternoon I spent in the precinct looking over the papers the detectives and officers wer ehanding in. Felt very much like school. And in a way it was, but I wasn't going to hold the hands of adults while they did the work. They either did or did not and it was their lives on the line -- not mine. I didn't care if they learned how to find a Wefuke in the newspaper, or if they knew the difference between a chupacabra and a rabid dog. I didn't fucking give a shit, it was their life, not mine.

And it was boring work which was why Dorian was handling the day to day. But I wanted the more promising officers to help with taking out of the facilities in the most legal way possible -- if I could. But that was for a later date, when I wasn't distracted by my personal life -- which is what Dorian pulled me out to comment on.

"You okay?"

Right as rain. But I gave him that level look and just shrugged. "Been better."

Dorian nodded and sighed. He knew he was stepping over his place and acting like the father he never was to Cruz. He ducked his head and then nodded down the hall. "The cases we work pay a toll on us. The strange and the weird. While Dr. Piroizzi is our profiler, she is also here for our mental well being. You should talk to her."

I guffawed. "You seriously think Aria's sister wants to talk to me? To fucking Atharim, with her history and with Aria." I dropped my voice "having killed her psychopathic father?"

"You don't know that to be a truth." He grabbed my shirt in a wadd and pulled me close. "His body was never found." The beast in my head growled. The blood in my veins boiled and it was everything in my willpower not to tear Dorian's hand from his arm for grabbing me.

I just nodded. I knew where he could be found. I had it on a map. That was the start of Aria's fall. He'd killed Lucas. She hunted him, killed him like the animal he was and then Dane fucking had to go and get murdered himself for Aria to lose it all. I knew a lot of secrets. Way too many to be working for the police.

"I'll think about it." I said pushing Dorian away from me with a shove. "Don't grab me like that again."

Dorian put up his hands in surrender. He didn't really know how close he'd come to losing his hand. How strong the horde really was. The simple smile hid most of it, but apparently not everything. Not enough to keep the meddling father figure out of his life. But he wasn't wrong. Maybe talking about impulse control might help. Anxiety and depression were old hats, but adding in the horde just made life so much worse. Maybe he thought. Maybe...