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[abrightboy]

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[abrightboy]

“You didn’t call me when you had the problem,” Malcolm points out evenly.

[inlieuofadad]

Gil starts to protest, starts to get affronted. Stops.

It hurts, to see Malcolm look at him like that, and not because of the soft betrayal of not asking his kid for help when he needed it. It hurts to see Malcolm point out his hypocrisy without guilt or hesitation and to not know where Malcolm found that side of himself. To know that it wasn't with guidance from Gil, himself.

"No I didn't," he admits. He studies Malcolm's face, looking at him with a sense of something like wonder and something like fascination. "I wanted to protect you. I'm sorry."

[abrightboy]

“I don’t want you to be sorry for that,” Malcolm tells him. “I want you to not be gone again. Or dead like George.”

[inlieuofadad]

A little twist of a knife that Malcolm doesn't mean to drive in, probably. But there it is anyway, words slipped between Gil's ribs to puncture something hidden.

He gets up and gestures for Malcolm to come to him. "Get over here, kid."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm steps closer with uncommon obedience, but he always listened to Gil more than anyone else.

“I want to protect you, too,” he says as he steps. “Like a team.” Like the team.

[inlieuofadad]

Another body blow to the spirit. Gil blinks quickly to keep himself from tearing up with how much he misses his precinct in this moment. JT. Dani. Edrisa. How much he misses Jess.

Gil does the only thing he can do to comfort either one of them and pulls Malcolm into a tight hug. “We are a team. No matter where we are or where we end up. You and me.”

He doesn’t want to say this, but he can’t keep it silent now. “I know this isn’t the best time to say this, but there’s something else. Jeff. He’s…”

Gil trails off for a moment. “I have reason to believe he made the leap. That he’s an Avatar, tied to one of those things out there. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep such a close eye on him.”

[abrightboy]

Malcolm sees it cross his face. The look he got when he talked about Jackie, but not about Jackie. He almost asks a question as he squeezes his eyes shut and clings to Gil, but then there’s that news.

“Jeff? He can’t be an Avatar. He’s… nice.”