#just a line of Official Clocks tapping out for each other before their batteries can run out and lose time???

[muddlemore]

This is gonna sound really dumb and I wish I could blame it on weed but I am so sober rn. How the fuck was the exact time of day discovered/decided

[weswardstars]

5 Times the Squad Called Gil Dad (and the 1 time he called them family)

This is a 30min or less fic I wrote in a group chat that’s completely unedited and a mess, but they wanna reblog it, so...

Context from our group headcanons: Malcolm/Dani/JT/Edrisa are a 4-person polycule who go through Some Shit when Martin finds out about them and Malcolm has a Break Down that almost leads to them splitting up. (Alluded to in 4, 5, and the +1.) Also Ainsley is a Lesbian™ who goes through a lot of girlfriends. (Alluded to in the +1.)

There are some other group headcanons swimming thru here, but nothing that should get in the way of reading. Enjoy!

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1) Edrisa

Edrisa calls him dad first. It's a Freudian slip -- or well, whatever the dad version of that is. Just a quick "Dad -- Sir -- Officer Sir!" over a dead body, which was to be expected. Gil skimmed right over it, taking the files from her and proceeding with the investigation like normal. If he stopped every time Edrisa said something odd, they'd never get anything done.

2) Malcolm

Malcolm's been saying it for years, through birthday presents and Christmas cards. This year he walks to Gil's office, card and wrapped box in hand. It takes him a moment to realize what the occasion is -- he's never received a Father's Day gift before.

Malcolm's not ready to say it with words. He throws around "Mother" like a knife and "Father" is...complicated. Too complicated. Too much. But Gil gets the message and pulls him into a hug.

3) Dani

Gil tries to be polite and quiet when he shuts the car door. It's 3 in the morning, and someone ought to be trying to sleep in their stead. Dani's perched on the hood of her car. Her battery's dead, and though she's not shivering, she's curled up tight in a jacket made for style not warmth.

Dani’s called a tow truck, but the car's not even worth the scrap metal anymore. When she climbs into his passenger seat for the long ride home she admits, "Haven't had my dad looking out for me in years. It's nice. Thanks." And the car's a little bit warmer as the heat kicks on.

4) JT

JT's the holdout. Always has been. Gil's swimming in and out of consciousness for days, his muscles sore from lack of use and his side burning from the buckshot. Sometimes someone strokes his face -- a gentle, sweet touch to be sure -- but it lights up pinpricks of pain from the scattering of cuts and asphalt rash across half his cheek.

Malcolm visits the most, but he doesn't have a real day job, so that counts for less. (Still nice, though.) Dani and JT come as a pair more often than not, probably on their lunch break. Ainsley comes once with Malcolm and leaves behind a teddy bear with a balloon tied to its wrist. Jessica sends more flowers than the room can fit.

JT is alone the next time Gil's conscious. He must make a confused sound, because JT tells him Dani's in the cafeteria getting food. "This is for you," he says too quickly, shoving a frame toward Gil. Gil tells his hand to reach for it, but he must be too drugged up because it doesn't move, and his eyes can't quite focus on the blur. JT shifts nervously and drops it on the side table out of sight. "Just uhh, get better. We miss you at work."

When Gil's more lucid, he takes a proper look at the photograph. The four of them, JT, Dani, Edrisa, and Malcolm, all shoved together for a selfie. It should be a squashed, terrible affair (JT looms over all of them, and Edrisa’s probably on tip toes just to be seen in the corner) but JT's got an eye for photography, and it's beautiful and silly, and completely them. When he's back at work, he places it on his desk next to his favorite photograph of Jackie.

5) Ainsley

Ainsley started visiting the precinct after Gil officially hired Malcolm as a consultant. Truth be told, at first it was mostly to snipe stories, but since the polycule started, she'd been by more often. (And then even more often once she'd starting meeting regularly with Martin, though no one had commented.) She always came with sweets. Was always a delight to an office usually bleak with the latest murder.

She bustles in now with cards in hand, passing out invites to her mother's latest function. "For friends and family," she says, passing cards to Dani and JT. "Check your email, Mom already sent you one," she says when Malcolm looks offended to be left out. "And honorary Dad," she says, dropping a card on his desk. Her dad or Malcolm's she doesn't specify, and Gil doesn't ask. Just picks it up with a quiet, "Thank you."

+1) Gil

As the clock ticks down, just a few minutes from midnight, the party naturally migrates to the balcony window. The ball drop is on the other side of town, but the television is within sight, and the snowfall outside is beautiful enough to watch alone. Gil taps his champagne flute and all eyes are on him. Dani, JT, Edrisa, and Malcolm stand to one side with their arms all looped around each other, and Ainsley and her latest girlfriend, Arianna, stand to the other side. (Though Malcolm briefly ducks out of his tangle of arms to grab champagne flutes for Dani and Ainsley who keep chugging theirs.)

"It's been a tough year, and we nearly lost a few of the people closest and dearest to us," he says, and the polycule all grips hands a little bit tighter. He doesn't have to remind them of their near breakup just a few months back. It's still raw, but they're healing. Mending. He’s so proud to see them stronger than ever.

"I'm so glad we're all here. Together. I'm glad to ring in the New Year with the people most important to me. I've known some of you for a long time," and he tips his flute to Malcolm and Ainsley, "And some of you are new," he nods to Arianna and Edrisa, "But all of you are irreplaceable." Dani and JT nod, and Gil ignores how JT's eyes rove down to his side where the buckshot scars still riddle his skin.

"To family," he says, and they chorus back, "To family!" as the ball drops and the fireworks explode. Gil sips his champagne and stares out at the snow -- a snippet of privacy for the couples all kissing in his living room.

He's brought back by a tug on his elbow, and Malcolm kisses his cheek. "Happy New Year," he says, and the other five are lined up behind him, each in turn giving him a hug and a kiss, and he laughs, bending down so even Edrisa can give him a kiss and a flustered, "Thank you Sir -- Dad -- Sir -- Happy -- Happy New Year."