Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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ellie had never taken her boss as the type to hate fruits and vegetables. she'd bought him dinner a handful of times, with a side of green salad on almost all of them, and he didn't seem appalled. not to mention the countless bags of grapes and pears she brought over whenever she thought he needed them. thus, detective inspector alec hardy's newfound aversion to apples was confusing, to say the least. he'd just shown up to work one day with a blue tupperware stuffed full of fruit salad - courtesy of bill, apparently - then spent the next long hour grumpily picking out the tiny apple cubes in it. later on, as they were driving to a suspect's home, she offered him a bottle of apple juice, and watched as his nose scrunched up in what could only be described as disgust.

ellie frowned, "you're thirsty, aren't you? drink, sir."

"nah, ye ha' it," he croaked, shaking his head. "i'm not goin' anywhere near apples again."

"you ate beth's homemade apple pie just fine yesterday, hardy," she reminded him. alec scoffed. "did something bad happen? stomach ache, perhaps?"

"drive yer bloody car, miller!" he growled. ellie, against her better judgement, stopped. they eyed each other, alec fuming and her worrying, before the detective inspector heaved out a sigh.

"are you gonna tell me, hardy?" she pried gently. "you're being too sensitive for it to be normal, and losing your cool over some apples? didn't see that coming, really."

alec hardy, for all his grouchy demeanour, gave a cute little pout at her words. not a moment later, he blanched. roughly, he raised a trembling hand to wipe his stubby face, finding it wet with tears. he breathed out shakily.

"gosh, it's so terribly childish," alec mumbled, covering his eyes. "don't worry, i'll sort it out. just... ye got a tissue?"

wordlessly, she handed him a box. alex pulled, and pulled some more, until there was a crumpled wad bigger than his palm pressing on each of his leaking eyes. ellie started the car again when he finally stopped hiccuping, making a sharp u-turn for hardy's home. she knew that was the place he should be now, where a certain doctor would be more than happy to take care of anything bothering his dear boyfriend.

***

"alec? you home already?"

ellie shook her head as she led alec inside. he'd been suspiciously, or perhaps concerningly silent for ten minutes now. she hoped that whatever this was coming to, bill would have a way to make it better, because she didn't think she could handle that level of alec hardy crying again.

bill, however, didn't seem to catch on to his boyfriend's sullen mood. he sauntered down the hallway to greet them, skillfully skirted around one of daisy's high heels, understandably thrilled to have his alec back early.

ellie decided he was too cheerful for her good.

"put him to bed or something," she commanded, half-slipping into her mum's voice. "he cried on me earlier. i think i could do some sleep too, this is so out of this world."

bill froze, "what happened? is he hurt?"

"no idea," she breathed, suddenly tired. this whole alec hardy and apples business was steadily wearing her down. "he refuses to eat or drink anything that involves apples, though. saw him picking the bits out his salad this morning. and he cried when i gave him juice."

alec gave them an unimpressed look from where he was hovering awkwardly by the kitchen stool, toeing off his shoes. his tie had been discarded, now lying haphazardly on the marble countertop. "nah a thin' t' worry 'bout, masters," he garbled out, voice still thick with tears. "juist not in the mood fer apples, aye."

"it's not nothing if it's making you uncomfortable, sweetheart," bill retorted. "i want you to tell me about it, so we could, maybe, sort it out?"

alec buried his face in his hands. "nah, it's ridiculous. tha most ridiculous thin' ever. so, nah."

"alec, please."

"nah."

"alec."

"never."

"oh bugger it, detective inspector alec hardy!" ellie screamed, and the two men in the room turned to look at her, bewildered. alec seemed just as angry as she was. "you tell bill, or i'm gonna lock you outside your bloody office until you do, you wanker!"

"fine!" alec yelled, frustrated. "i stop eatin' apples because bill is a bloody doctor, and i don't want him to leave me! y'know the sayin' 'bout doctors and apples..."

he trailed off. ellie stared at him, trying her best to stifle a laugh. bill, on the other hand, was absolutely dazed. the silence droned on for another minute or two, until ellie couldn't hold herself anymore. she and bill both busted a gut.

alec scowled.

"didn't mean to laugh at you, love, but this is hilarious," bill said, a little breathless. "an apple a day keeps the doctor away, isn't it? never thought you'd interpret it this way, really, sweetheart."

"told ye it's ridiculous-"

"it's fine, hardy. makes brilliant comedy, absolutely brightens my day," ellie piped up, her voice still coloured with mirth. "but it's not ridiculous. we all have irrational fears sometimes, it's completely normal."

"i'm supposed tah be rational, miller. a detective's boggin' if not rational. this is so childish."

bill circled the kitchen table, coming to rest a warm, reassuring hand on alec's hunched shoulder. "i have to agree with ellie on this. detectives are still human, love. you're allowed this kind of thought, at least outside of work. you are not at work now, are you?"

"nah a' work, aye."

"then let yourself be," bill said, softer than she'd ever heard him. "relax. i'm not going anywhere, am i?"

ellie watched, feeling more than a bit out of place, as alec burrowed deep into bill's chest. silently, she excused herself from the house. she didn't need to look, to know that her boss- friend was in good hands, and that she would have him back in the office tomorrow just fine.