Solve Me

(9), In Which Revelations Are Made

Lily glared daggers at the man standing in the doorway of the building. He was smiling sheepishly, but he looked immensely relieved. He looked exhausted, Lily noticed. There were purple bags under his eyes. His hair needed to be cut, and he needed to shave. His glasses were slightly crooked on his nose, but looked too red to bother fix them. She walked over stiffly, hearing the taxi peel away behind her. She wanted to smack him, but deep down, she was glad to see him.

"Listen, I-" Lily raised a finger, pointing it accusingly in his direction, and he fell silent. She balled up her fist, and raised it, honestly about to hit him, but all she could manage was a feeble smack on the chest. She grabbed his ear and yanked his head down in front of hers, fixing his glasses before releasing him. She glowered up at him, folding her arms over her chest.

"I hate you," she declared. "I hate you so much right now, but at the same time, I really really don't." He grinned, shoulders relaxing slightly. He pulled her into a hug and she melted against him, welcoming the feeling of another person's arms around her. It was something she hadn't felt in a while, and she appreciated it immensely, pressing her face into his chest. He could use a shower.

"I missed you too," he mumbled into her hair, and she could feel his smile pressed against her head.

"My only question is what the hell you're doing here of all places. You and I are going home, now. You're taking a shower and changing before anything. I don't care if there's new evidence here. Marcus will find a way to keep it there for tomorrow and get us in."

"Oh, come on, just a few minutes?" He whined. Lily shook her head, pulling away from him and grabbing his wrist. For once she was the one dragging him down the street. The idling was only a few streets away, not worth hailing a taxi. She ignored his complaints all the way back, and when they approached the door, she pulled the key from around her neck, and unlocked the door. She shoved him inside, slamming the door.

"You are such a child," she mused, chuckling. She threw the key at him and he caught it, shoving it in the pocket of the coat he was hanging up. He pulled off his glasses, tossing them at her. She placed them on the living room coffee table. He immediately disappeared to shower and change. Lily sighed, letting herself fall back on a chair. Before she knew it, she was dozing off into a light, but comfortable sleep.

.-.~.-.~.-.~.-.~.-.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed since she fell asleep when Lily finally opened her eyes. She glanced back and forth groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It didn't take her long to locate Tad. He was sitting, fully refreshed, in the chair across from her. When he noticed she was awake, he smiled. He still looked tired, Lily realized. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep while she dozed off.

"Rise and shine, Lily. We're investigating." Lily sighed, before nodding.

"Yeah, alright. How long was I asleep?" She ran a hand down the side of her face. Tad checked his watch.

"All of twenty minutes. You said refresh myself, and here I am, refreshed. We're leaving. You already said yes, no takesies backsies." He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. He was already dressed, coat and all, pulling her down the hallway.

"I didn't finish my search before you arrived earlier." Lily's jaw dropped and she came to a screeching halt.

"You already investigated? When?!" Tad sighed, rolling his eyes. She could see the exhaustion in him, but his excitement and curiosity were overriding it.