heart like yours (jennifer jareau)

3. eight

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"what a terrible thing it is to wound someone you really care for and to do it so unconsciously." - haruki murakami

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Delilah stared down at her phone as she stood in the kitchen of the local PD, waiting for the fresh pot of coffee to be done. She put her phone to her ear, turning to lean against the kitchen side as she waited for the call to connect.

"I'm awake, you know? Liv already made sure," Ziggy's voice came through the phone, slightly breathless and winded.

"Why do you sound like you've been running?" Delilah asked.

"It's good to exercise," Ziggy said.

"Is it?" Delilah asked.

"Not really, no," Ziggy huffed. "I hate running."

"Then why are you running?" Delilah said.

"It's good to keep fit. And I pissed off this kid with arms bigger than my head and I'm scared he'll sit on me and break my ribs. I'm only little, y'know? And I'm borderline anemic. I'm whiter than Edward Cullen in Twilight. I don't sparkle, though," Ziggy said.

Delilah snorted, turning to start making her coffee.

"I've never seen it," Delilah said.

"Shit, really? It's terrible, but it's that shit it's good," Ziggy said.

"I will give it a try," Delilah said. "Why'd you piss off that kid?"

"He called me a fuck up, so, I told him that his dad probably left him because it was cheaper to fund his heroin addiction than feed his appetite," Ziggy said.

"What the fuck?" Delilah said.

"Good comeback, right?" Ziggy chuckled.

"I mean, yeah, it's a good comeback, but I thought we talked about staying out of trouble," Delilah said. "Do you want a third note on your criminal record?"

"I was staying out of trouble," Ziggy said. "And he called me a fuck up, so, I retaliated. What did you expect me to do? Stand there and take it?"

"No," Delilah said. "Nobody is expecting you to stand there and take it. Of course you want to retaliate, but maybe don't bait someone bigger than you into swinging for you."

"Whatever, dude," Ziggy snarked. "What are you doing, anyway? Other than lecturing me?"

"Other than lecturing you?" Delilah said. "I'm on a case and making coffee."

"Is it bad?" Ziggy asked.

"They're all bad," Delilah said.

"How bad?" Ziggy asked.

"Bad," Delilah said.

"How many-"

"Nope," Delilah said. "No work talk. You're already too aware of the evils of this world."

"Ugh. You know, you don't have to parent me. I've been doing a pretty good job of it on my own," Ziggy said.

"Yeah?" Delilah asked. "Is that why you think it's okay to set snakes loose on kids in parks?"

"They weren't kids. They were older than me. And I wasn't setting the snake loose to hurt anyone. You should've seen how little the tank was, and that snake is a sand snake. I knew the park had a sandpit, so, I figured I'd take him there and pack up some sand to take him home with me. And then he got away from me, and it spiraled," Ziggy muttered.