Project Shady

Date?

Clara huffed as she placed the items down on the counter in front of the teen who was operating the till. The young girl appeared to not care as she scanned the items and folded the T-shirts neatly to fit inside the bag. Clara then groaned as the teen said she had to get the manager because she wasn't old enough to sell the alcohol to her.

''Why put teenagers on tills?'' Clara whispered under her breath. The manager was busy helping out another customer so it meant she had to wait even longer.

''ID miss,'' the manager asked, with an equally as frustrated look on his face. Clara handed it over to him, her facial expression neutral as he looked from the card to her then back again. Finally after what to Clara seemed like ages, he finally handed it back along with her shopping.

Clara paid for everything she had bought, leaving the shop as quickly as she could. All her senses were on edge since her brother had decided to pay her an unexpected visit. Granted the visit had only happened just over an hour ago and he was in police custody, but she was still very much aware of her surroundings at present. Every shout left her ears ringing, every time the smell of smoke reached her nose she had to know where it was coming from. Jasper was unpredictable; she knew for sure that he must have had a backup plan if his first one hadn't succeeded.

Or perhaps slashing the tires and breaking all the windows of Marshall's car was the backup plan. To Clara, however, that action wasn't her brother's style, which worried her even more, since she had left Marshall alone in her flat. It wasn't like he could go out wandering the streets, for starters he didn't even have a decent shirt since the last one got pretty soaked thanks to Jasper and his 'friends.'

Coming up to her apartment complex she rolled her eyes at the sight of the police still milling about outside, as if it wasn't obvious that the man, who was already in custody, wasn't the one who'd killed the poor doorman. Clara had to show her door key and specify which flat she lived in before they allowed her past the tape and back into the building. It frustrated her that they couldn't recognise the same person who had left around ten minutes before.

''Hey Clara,'' her shoulders slumped back as the voice caught her just as she was about to place her foot on the first step of the staircase, which would leave her out of breath by the time she reached her floor.

''Micheal, aren't you, you know supposed to be working?'' She questioned turning around, forcing a smile onto her face when all she really wanted to shove Micheal out the way so she could go sort out the rapper in her home and then kick him out so he went back to his mansion.

''Er not right now I'm not really supposed to be working today or tomorrow. We got to take holiday's too you know,'' Clara nodded and hummed along as if she was actually interested in what he was saying. Although, it didn't take a detective to work out that she really didn't care.

''Um, I was thinking that maybe we should like go and grab a drink, while I'm not working because well we're seeing a lot of each other lately and well I I...''

''Are you trying to ask me out on a date?'' Clara was very much paying attention now.

''Um... I,'' Micheals mouth then clamped shut as the words failed to form. His face went bright red and he looked down at his shoes, which had suddenly become extremely interesting to him.

''Look, Micheal, I would love to go and grab a drink with you, but as friends. How about I ask Rose, Curtis and Marshall to join us at a bar or something and if I wanna be with you alone we could do that,'' Clara proposed the idea, she didn't want to upset the guy because he was generally nice, but she didn't really want to go out on a date with him later.

''Ok, just text me what's happening,'' Clara nodded and this time gave him a genuine smile. She hated to admit, but the way he perked up at the possibility of a date happing in the future, was kinda cute.

°°°

''Marshall I got a couple of...'' Clara's words trailed off as she turned around from closing the door to see, well nothing, ''Marshall?'' She called out again, but there was no answer. Placing the back on the dining table, Clara went to pick up the phone and call Micheal.

''You got an answer...''

''Did you see Marshall leave the building?'' She cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

''I didn't, but I can see if any of the officers have why?''

''Because he's not in the flat and...'' The creaking of her bedroom door opening caused her to whip around and see the very person, who she was panicking over.''You know what don't worry, he was hiding the little dick,'' she then ended the call before Micheal could get another word in.

''I used your shower is that ok?'' Marshall asked dodging flipped end of the carpet so he didn't trip up and fall on his face; Clara wished he had.

''I can see that,'' she responded trying to keep her eyes on his head and the rest of his body, where a twole around his waist was the only piece of material covering him, ''I got you a couple of shirts in different sizes, cause you know, sizes are weird these days. You can get like a medium from one store and it will be like a small from somewhere else and...''

''Yeah I get it you're rambling Cici.''

''Don't you dare start calling me that otherwise I'm shoving this somewhere and it will be painful,'' Clara shot back the bottle of vodka in her hand.

''Kinky,'' she huffed, rolling her eyes at the comment as she placed the bottle on the wine rack by one of the shelves.

''Why does he call you that or is that another secret you don't want me to know?'' Marshall spoke grabbing one of the shirts and trying it on. It was obvious that it was way too big and boxy for him.

''It's just an old nickname, but he's the only one who has ever called me it and the only one who ever will. So don't get any ideas,'' she explained pointing a finger at him.

''Yes ma'am,'' he replied as he pulled the next shirt on over his head ''Hey, this one fits, good job,'' he took the shirt with him back into her room, shutting the door behind him.

°°°

''Yeah Curtis is up for it. He said if Marshall uses some petty excuse then just ring him up and he'll convince him to come,'' Rose replied. Clara had just filled her in on what had happened to Joe and the situation with Jasper as well as Micheal sort of asking her out.

''Ok, I mean as long as you and Curtis are going to be there it won't be a big deal is Marshall isn't,'' Rose hummed in response, ''anyway I'll see yeah tonight then?''

''Yeah see ya,'' they hung up and Clara turned around from her position by the window to find Marshall stood leant on one of the dining room chairs his eyebrows raised.

''What's that about not being a big deal if I ain't somewhere tonight?'' He quizzed.

''Micheal tried to ask me out, but I convinced him that we should all go out you know us, Rose and fifty altogether,'' Clara explained. Marshall just stared at her for a second mulling over what he was about to say.

''I'm coming, wanna get to know this dude if you to are gonna be a thing,'' he mumbled the last bit, however, Clara heard him loud and clear.

''You know I'm not one of your daughters right and I don't even know if I like him like that. I mean he's nice and shit, but he seemed pretty awkward when trying to ask me out. Plus he was totally fine when I told him we should all hang as friends and if something comes out of it then we go from there.''

''Whoa there was so much womany gossip in that I didn't understand a fucking thing.''

''Womany gossip, what the fuck is that?'' Clara shot back.

''When a woman has an issue and just blabbers on about, which is like literally what you just did,'' he pointed out.

''I do not blabber on about stuff,'' Clara defended.

''Yeah and I don't write my own raps.''

''Fuck you.''