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right. albert likes to 𝙥𝙧𝙚��𝙖𝙘𝙚 that … detail of their relationship these days, considering his &͟. cooper’s falling out ( of sorts ). word travels, after all. gordon cole knew from the very start.
‘ i suppose. ’
on that note, since albert’s here … +
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Hmm ?
Following his gaze to the ceiling , he tried to get the attention back on him —— Scully hasn't been here today , she's off for some conference —— “So your partner , I wasn't going to question ... ”
If he was worried about that.
“Everyone in the bureau →
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clouded judgement, cooper, but if you insist. ’
how bad could it really be? once you’re three whiskies in, the atmosphere doesn’t really matter anyway. you’re too tipsy to care.
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of course it won’t do albert any favors. but he doesn’t exactly care about any of that. does coop see him having a social life at all outside of work? friends? ( maybe except for gordon &͟. diane. )
‘ the roadhouse. ’ albert shrugs. ‘ i’m hesitant to trust your +
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" again, you really ought to come up with nicer nicknames, or avoid them in general. it won't — do you very many favors, albert, "
sighing, though he did still smile a little bit. same old, same old.
" we'll head to the roadhouse if that's what you'd like. i wouldn't +
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‘ is there a halfway decent bar in this hick town? i don’t want to have to get my fix from sheriff dumbbell. ’
( the stench of liquor lingers on the man, after all. )
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whether spirits existed or not was unimportant to albert &͟. his own cause. what mattered was evidence &͟. using that evidence for justice, however flawed the system may be. sometimes—many times—albert flounders with his place in society, his lack of control +
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" i wanted to be sure i could do something to fix it, before speaking. something ... tangible and more than an empty promise, albert. " noble.
likely flawed; but noble nonetheless. and he, as ever, appreciated that the other would once again stay as he finished +
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since becoming an agent of the fbi.
&͟. now … this. cooper. a complication; a dreamlike affair. a fantasy in gray eyes &͟. too much hair gel that albert’s grown very accustomed to smelling in the early hours of the morning.
albert considers his next move. +
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pull him in for a desperate kiss. when did the two of them last kiss? how long has it been?
‘ … &͟. like i said, i’ll stay to help make sure you catch this bastard, whoever it is. ’
( though albert has 𝓼uspicions of his own. )
‘ good to know you kept to yourself, then. ’
the real kicker is that albert doesn’t want to leave this room. albert, the fool he is, wants nothing more than to take advantage of the pair’s privacy, to take coop by surprise &͟. +
" no, i've been more than aware for quite some time, " he just didn't have the words, or the proverbial balls for it. to actually face it head on and get on with it.
" good old fashioned investigation, blended with a few bits of self reflection. and it'll be cracked, i'm +
‘ save it, cooper, ’ albert insists as they gather up their medical kit. ‘ laura’s killer is still out there, &͟. we can’t rely only on your 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 to catch him. intuition does not overrule hard evidence. ’
‘ wow, sherlock—you’re just 𝙣𝙤𝙬 noticing this? ’ but the expected venom in albert’s voice, as he says this, is nonexistent. his tone is flat, his body language slow, like it is tiring for him to lug his limbs around. +
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" i very much understand, " but does he? to the fullest extent? probably not, no. but he's doing everything humanly possible to try. and with a step closer to albert, he simply ... sighed.
slumping. " i've not done you right for an especially long time, have i? it'll be +
‘ don’t i? ’ albert, of course, isn’t going to ‘leave.’ when he told cooper that he would stay here until this case was solved, he meant it. the complications arise from everything else about the current status of their relationship.
no matter what, cooper always reels +
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" or else? perhaps i don't even want to know, " he sighed, taking deep and personal offense, though he didn't drag it out into the air. knowing his own faults and issues in the matter.
and how he'd 'broken' albert in a few ways as well. " you don't need to leave just yet, +
him back in.
‘ after everything between you &͟. windom earle, you migjt understand a little bit of 𝔀hy this has all been particularly difficult for me. ’
&͟. not to mention—a year ago, following the death of teresa banks, cooper had begged albert to remain at his side +
or else … ’
what? they’d leave cooper behind to fend for himself? the problem lies in the fact that albert still hasn’t let their relationship ( whatever they were ) go …
as usual, as always, cooper has the final say. no matter how much albert scratches &͟. claws &͟. bites, he’s always made to heel. coop’s message is clear: now is not the time, &͟. albert’s pettiness will not be +
" 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆, no. but that's an issue to be sorted later. what the sheriff did was wrong, but your consistent antagonizing finally reached a head— and no matter if it was you insulting him — or indirectly; 𝒎𝒆 ... "
he trailed off as he stood. looking the other up and down +
entertained. ‘ … fine. i concede. whatever you want, 𝓭ale. ’
albert moves to grab his things, then hesitates. they turn back &͟. face cooper.
‘ you’re lucky i value integrity &͟. empathy as much as i do, coop. +
albert’s frustration only mounts. ‘ you cannot seriously be vouching for 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞 of all people in this godforsaken town. ’ rather than continue with that train of thought, he quickly moves on. ‘ truman physically +
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" you antagonized, belittled, and demeaned the sheriff and everyone possible around — and when told off by me, before being struck, you continued to speak and then wished to press charges, albert, "
sighing. tired already. " you have done nothing to help yourself, even as +
assaulted me, &͟. you’re framing 𝘮𝘦 as the aggressor? ’
is a large part of his anger merely misguided jealousy? perhaps. but it doesn’t change the fact that albert had been attacked &͟. subsequently *betrayed by the only man +