FicWad

Gerard stared at the wall and counted the cracks lining it. He was up to 42 now. He had found it amazing enough that there was such a thing as a non-stainless-steel wall in a place like this, but it was in the older wing of the lab. It didn't matter to him that much. Sometimes meaningless busy work like this helped him think. And right now he had a lot of thinking to do.
He could have left. He could have taken time to grieve for his grandmother. He could have gotten the next flight home.
But if he did any of those things, he would be giving Matt a satisfaction he didn't deserve. The British investigator wanted nothing more than to see him squirm under pressure, especially in circumstances like this.
And though he knew it was ridiculous, that it was merely his competitive instinct screaming at him, he would shoot himself before he let Matt win. No matter which Matt it was.
"G? You doing any better?" asked Frank upon his entrance. He handed Gerard a steaming mug, which he thankfully took. It was hot tea; not something he was accustomed to, but at the moment he didn't care. He had other things to think about. He picked up the paper tab at the end of the teabag's string between two fingers and swirled it around, lost in thought and lost for words. Finally he was able to come up with something.
"You know me well, Frank. You know how I hate not knowing what to do, how I hate when I have to make a huge decision. I'm torn. What should I do?" Frank sipped the sweet liquid thoughtfully.
"I know this is going to sound rough, but I don't think Mikey needs you back home." Gerard sat and calmly waited for his explanation. No doubt he had a good one. "See, he has good friends there, plus he can always call you if he needs to talk. And don't give me that shpeal about it being expensive," he added when Gerard opened his mouth to interrupt. "And I can tell you right now that if you leave, Matt is going to watch you go with a smirk plastered on his face. I can't handle a case this large on my own if things go sour, and if you're not here to keep the peace between us, there might be one more murder to solve." Gerard had to let out a single laugh at this. Frank always knew how to help. "And if you ever need to talk, you know you've got me. Besides," he added, letting a smile creep onto his features. "I plan on seeing 'We Will Rock You' before this trip is over, and I'm sure as hell not going alone." This managed to coax a smile out of the senior investigator, and Frank internally congratulated himself. He hadn't thought he'd be able to do that.
"Thanks, Frank. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a case to solve." He left the tea on the table and left the room. Frank frowned, wondering why he didn't drink it. He tentatively brought the other mug to his lips and swallowed, gagging on it almost immediately. No wonder Gerard didn't drink any of it; Frank hadn't poured in the usual ten packets of sugar with one Skittle for flavor. He took the mug to the sink and poured it out disdainfully.
"No wonder, indeed," he muttered to himself, downing the rest of his own drink and eating the orange piece of candy caught in the flow of gravity. "Life without sugar is a lot less fun."
-
The tan-colored files landed on the metallic desk with a soft thud. Gerard couldn't help but marvel at it. Three separate cases. Three different and equally meaningless crimes.
And he had solved them all in three days.
No sleep, of course. Frank had made so many runs to the local Starbucks that the employees now knew him on a first-name basis. Gerard no longer cared what it was he was drinking, as long as there was enough caffeine in it to let a sloth win a marathon. He looked into Matt's face with red, slightly swollen eyes. He must have looked like a zombie to the British investigator.
"I hope you're happy," he said tiredly. "And I hope you know we're not leaving until you let us do what we came here for." Matt took a single glance at the files and nodded. He clicked a button on his computer, and something began printing almost immediately. He picked up the single sheet of paper and handed it to Gerard.
"Here you go," he said simply. Gerard could only look at him incredulously. The paper had a picture of a fingerprint on it and nothing else. He was about to say something when Matt's phone rang.
"Yes, what is it...really...I'll be there in a few minutes. Way?" he asked, snapping the phone shut. Gerard looked up from studying the floor. "You have three minutes. Meet me out front." He gave a nod and left quickly to find Frank. Finally they would get the chance to work on something important.