ₘᵣ ₛₐₙdₘₐₙ ~ Dᵢᵣₖ Gₑₙₜₗy ✅

A Side Of Complimentary Self Doubt

"You're being weird. Even for you." After getting a call from Tina and Farah that they'd had to leave Bart to go out, the four raced back to the station. Sicillian and Todd had a long talk when they arrived, thinking it was probably best the brunette confront Dirk on his off behaviour. So she did, having pulled him to one side.

"Well I was just thrown through a dog house by a zombie." He laughed, but it was nervous one. Not genuine at all.

"You were being weird before that. Don't you think this all relates back to finding the boy?" She raised an eyebrow, trying to subtly steer the conversation towards him telling her what was wrong by engaging the brit in detective talk.

"I-" He couldn't quite form a sentence.

"I thought you were excited about being on a new case? What's changed...?" Sicillian trailed off, almost sadly. It hurt her to see someone she cared about so deeply be struggling.

"I am... I was. It's just- Why does Todd have pararibulitus? Why have you stopped adapting?" That certainly wasn't the question she was expecting.

"Why?"

"Exactly." Dirk twisted his lips sorrowfully, taking a second to sense the disappointment in the woman's green eyes. He sighed, walking off.

"What happened?" Todd sidled over.

"I don't know..." Sicillian collapsed onto the sofa, upset. "I don't understand why he can't just tell me what's bothering him. I feel like I've... Like I've screwed up. Like I've let him down."

"Like you've let him down? Jesus, Sissy, can you be more blind?" The brunette frowned.

"Sissy?" She raised an eyebrow, ignoring his other point for now.

"Just something I was trying out, I can, like not?"

"No. I like it." The Hollistic Assistant found in fact, she did. She'd never had a nickname before, but it felt comforting. That's what friends did. Give each other silly names.

"Cool. But anyway, you've been nothing but good to him. You haven't let him down, and I know he sure as hell doesn't think that. Dirk down right adores having you around. You mean a lot to him." The ex bellhop spoke sincerely, dropping into the seat next to her.

"I'm just trying to do what I can. Being back in Blackwing, it's fucked us both up. Him more than me. I can cope with that shit with sarcasm and the like, but Dirk hasn't learned that. We don't talk about what happened when we were kids, but whatever they did to him... It was nothing good." She sighed. "There were periods when he'd just become so detached. So cold and lonely... It scared me half to death. I want to know how to help him, but I'm coming up empty handed." The shorter man smiled sympathetically.

"You being around is more than enough. I have a sneaking suspicion he'd follow you to the ends of the Earth." She shrugged, not really sure what to make of the statement.

"I was going to leave you know?" Todd raised an eyebrow, shocked. "Yeah, before Blackwing got us. I knew I'd have to go somewhere else eventually, I couldn't help those I needed from his side. It was awful, saying goodbye. I think it broke him." She sighed, leaning back. "Maybe that's why he's so touchy, he's terrified the same thing will happen. That I'll need to leave."

"Then stick by him. It's as simple as that." The darker haired man made a relaxed gesture.

"I plan on." She drew the fellow assistant into a quick hug, relishing having a friend to talk to. Her and Todd had their moments of arguing, but they also had moments like this, of pure helping. "Thank you. I'm lucky to have you round to keep me sane." She smiled.