"You Smell Nice" || Brightwell [Prodigal Son]

"You Smell Nice"

Blood pumped through Malcolm's veins as he walked across the floor. The bounce in his step seeming to glide over the hardwood as he moved. Being high was a new sensation for him. He had never experimented with anything even while in university. Malcolm recalled the words of his college friend. "You're such a square Bright." He hadn't been wrong in his words but Malcolm wasn't worried about titles or social standings. He was focused on graduating top of his class and working to take down monsters like his own father.

Jumping onto the back of the couch he shouted with absolute certainty, "I know! How about we throw axes!" The man jumped onto the couch cushions before he fell onto the floor and managed to somehow land without hurting himself or breaking anything in the room. 

"Bright... I don't think..." Dani's voice called out to him from the bar stool at the kitchen island.

At that moment Malcolm discovered that the black dress socks he was wearing caused him to slide better than he expected. He pushed himself off of his heel and slid past an amused Dani. Catching her arm mid slide he tugged until she was standing. "Want to dance?" The offer was simple and Malcolm was feeling the rush of cocaine mixed with Xanax as it heightened his senses.

He caught the smell of Dani's shampoo as he tried to convince her to dance with him.

Without considering the action or thinking it through Malcolm took in the scent. "You smell nice." He said to her without inhibition. "What is that?" His hand reached to touch her hair only the be swatted down.

"I like you Bright but don't try that again." She pushed him back with a serious but amused tone of voice.

The sudden action caused Malcolm's thoughts to shift and he noticed the hallucination standing behind Dani now.

"No. No. No!" Yelling as he ran across the apartment. Paranoia starting to set in.

His breathing picked up and he ran past Dani into the bathroom where he tried slamming the door but was intercepted by a much faster Dani.

Cowering in the corner of the shower he covered his head. The hallucinations feeling more real by the second. "Go away! You're not real!" He shouted and swung his arm out in front of him nearly hitting his friend in the face with them.

"Woah woah. Bright. Listen to me. Look." She grabbed his shoulders but he fought her. "It's not real. Malcolm you're okay." She tried reasoning with him but he was too far into the paranoia to be reasoned with.

The next thing Malcolm recalled was waking up in his bed. The restraints were missing but there sat Dani on the couch of the studio watching Ainsley's news report on the news.

Flexing his wrists out of habit more than necessity he became aware of the ache in his jaw.

"Good morning sunshine." Dani called to him. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep. He noted the cup sitting on the coffee table and assumed it was coffee.

The clothes he had on the night before were soaked in sweat and he felt shaken and disgusting. "I'm going to take a shower. Tell me what happened when I get back."
He made sure to shower and put on fresh clothes before walking towards the kitchen where Dani had taken a seat at the counter. "Do I want to know why my jaw hurts right now?" He rubbed it for added emphasis as he gave her a smirk. He turned around to grab a cup and noticed Dani had pushed her's in his direction. 

"Fill it up." She smiled. "And I might of had to punch you to get you to calm down."

The way she was looking at him and the tone of voice she used made it impossible for him to not laugh. "That explains it then. How did I manage to end up in the bed? And my restraints?"

"What about them?" The detective asked while stirring in some of the sugar that was sitting on the counter and taking a test sip of the liquid to see if it was acceptable. "I'm stronger than you think." She sat the mug down and watched him.

Malcolm leaned against the counter. His own warm coffee sitting between both his hands. "Thanks for looking out for me last night."

"It's what friends do." She responded.

He knew that she had only stayed with him as punishment from Gil but he wondered if she would've stayed anyway even had it not been an order. Malcolm hadn't known her long but ehhh could tell the detective wasn't the type to leave someone in the worst of times.

"We're friends?" The words fell out as an excited question from Malcolm and were met with a smile from Dani.

"Of course we are. What else would we be?"