Chapter Text
If you asked her, Amelia Watson was fine.
The cheap can of beer tumbled against her table. Her head was pounding with the world's greatest headache. The concoction high wasn't helping either.
Definitely fine in her opinion. In fact, she wasn't drunk enough. The cold hiss of either the fourth or fortieth beer echoed in the rum. The old CRT monitor crackled with faint static, reflecting back and empty office.
Two dead blue eyes stared back at her.
Her apartment was a mess. Had been for the past week. Or month. She had lost track. Who could've imagined the great time traveling detective would lose track of time.
Not like she could time travel anymore.
"Fuck me," she chuckled. A cough rattled her chest. "Damn everything."
Her phone lit up with a message. The bright screen stung her eyes. Without a second thought, she tossed it aside. The screen cracked.
It didn't matter anyway.
Nothing mattered anymore.
Amelia sighed. She leaned back in her seat and shotgunned the entire can in a few quick gulps.
"Ah, damn, that's- hic- some good stuff right there."
She tossed the can aside into the growing pile in the corner. It clattered against an old pizza box.
Her hand slipped into her coat. She didn't know why she was wearing her detective outfit today, but it felt fitting. Her fingers wrapped around the cold metal inside.
It felt familiar. The weight of it was almost comforting. Her second best partner, only second to...
She shook her head. No point in second guessing herself. It was time.
-+-
Gawr Gura was not fine. Not at all.
Her shark tail snapped back and forth as she paced, walking in circles like she was digging a hole with only her footsteps.
Amelia had been missing for two months already. Two months without a single person being able to contact her. Two months without her detective.
How possessive, little sharkie~
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "Shut up, Gawr."
The voice in her head chuckled. She could imagine the red eyes filled with dangerous glee. Are you sure she isn't dead in some alley?
"I said shut up," Gura snapped. "Calli already checked. She's not dead. Just hiding."
From you maybe?
"She'd never leave me like that. Never."
Gawr cackled. So full of conviction... If only you used that back then, maybe you wouldn't be falling in love with a human.
Gura felt her cheeks heat up. "I- no, I'm not in love with her. I just care about her, alright?" Despite her words, her shark tail betrayed her.
Gawr clicked her tongue, snickering, You're lucky you're alone or this would look very psychotic to anyone else.
Gura glared at nothing. "Maybe you should just shut up forever, then."
No can do~
Gura groaned. She slumped onto the couch. The very same couch where she used to cuddle Ame while watching scary movies. Her nose caught the faint scent of strawberries that still lingered.
The shared apartment felt lonelier than ever. Ame had obviously avoided it. There were no more midnight cuddles, only her crying herself to sleep at night while hugging Ame scented pillows.
Her heart ached every time she noticed her detective's absence. How quiet the kitchen would be. How there wasn't a fresh cup of coffee and a tired looking Ame waiting for her at the counter. How on Sunday's Ame always brought her out to eat pancakes, even if they still couldn't decide between IHOP and Denny's.
She let out a low whine. Her fingers clutched around nothing. She felt so cold without her sunshine.
Her gaze flicked to her phone, to the message she'd sent only minutes ago. Ame hadn't even read it, like all the other ones.
But enough was enough. She couldn't last a single day more. If Ame didn't want to be found, then she'd find her anyway. She had to. Or else...
Thinking about me, sharkie?
Without a word, she got up. Her hoodie felt heavy as she summoned her trident.
She was a selfish shark. And she'd find her detective no matter what.
-+-
Everything hurt.
She could feel every beat of her heart behind her skull, pounding like a battering ram trying to smash her skull in. Her eyes drifted up, hazy and tinged pink.
The gun felt cold in her hands.
She popped the chamber open. A singular bullet sat in the chamber. It wasn't made out of any expensive material or marked with a special significance. It was ordinary. Like her.
The chamber clicked shut.
Her cheeks were stained with dried tears. Every breath reeked of alcohol.
The barrel drifted to her chin.
Imagine that. The World's Number One Detective, Amelia Watson, about to make herself disappear.
A wet chuckle escaped her lips. "God, I'm- hic- so pathetic."
She could've never imagined her end to be this... sad. Back then, she was solving cases, hopping between timelines, always saving the day no matter where she went.
Maybe it was her fault. Maybe she was just overreacting. She could just be the only ordinary human in a group of immortals.
A thick lump sat in her throat. She choked it down, her larynx hitting the revolver's sights.
She couldn't. Her life was meaningless without time travel. Her whole life revolved around one singular watch.
And it was shattered.
The hammer clicked back.
How did Sherlock Holmes die again? Off a cliff while fighting his greatest nemesis?
"I'll never be as great as uncle Sherlock," she huffed. A rueful smile was on her lips. "I'll never be anything more than human."
Her finger found the trigger.
-+-
A dark, disgusting feeling churned in her gut. Everything in her was screaming something was wrong.
Gura's tail was tucked low, curling around the hilt of her trident.
The door in front of her stood like a gate. The old wood seemed to judge her for even standing in front of it.
Mm, this would be the rising action, Gawr commented idly. You would've known that if you kept up with your princess studies.
"Shut up," Gura hissed. "You're Atlantis sermon can wait. I need to find her."
Right, right, your detective. Gura could feel the eye roll in her tone. Your sweet, precious sunshine. The one who may or may not be dead already.
"She's not. She wouldn't dare."
Gawr chuckled low. ...you spend too much time with humans. You're getting soft.
"Piss off."
Gura took a breath. Her fingers felt sticky as they curled around the knob. She gave it a quiet turn. It wasn't locked.
Amelia would never leave anything unlocked. Especially when she was trying to hide.
"The tip better have been right, or I'm eating those fish sticks for dinner."
She slowly opened the door.
-+-
The door creaked open.
Amelia opened one eye towards the door, finger loosening on the trigger.
"Who's there?" she bit out. "I'm armed. I'll- hic- shoot if you don't start moving."
Gura's blue eyes shone through the dark like headlights. Her heart twisted like it was in a vyse.
"Gura?" she rasped. "Wha- what are you doing here?"
Amelia couldn't see her expression in the dark, but the crack in her voice was clear as day.
"Watson, put the gun down."
Amelia shrugged, absolutely not moving at all. "I- hic- I'd rather not, Gura."
"Watson," Gura stressed. A flash of red passed through those ocean eyes. "Put. It. Down."
She forced herself up, feet unsteady. Her headache went wild for a second before she shook it off.
"Why should I?" Amelia questioned. She shifted the gun barrel to point at the side of her head instead. "Why- hic- are you even here?"
"To stop what you're doing," Gura snapped. "Why the hell are you even-" a sob broke her voice. "Ame, please."
Despite herself, those puppy eyes always managed to force her hand.
"...I'm not dropping it."
Amelia's grip loosened on the gun. Her wrist slackened, tilting the gun aside. Her other hand settled on her hip.
Gura's tail lashed out behind her. Her body was tilted forward, like she was about to pounce, but her eyes were locked on the gun.
"You're drunk," Gura observed flatly.
"Obviously."
"You always hiccup worse when you drink."
Amelia looked aside for a second, head tilted. "...do I?"
"Yeah," Gura nodded. Did she step closer? Her mind wasn't functioning enough to tell. "They're... they're cute, though.. I like your hiccups."
"Uh huh," Amelia said slowly. "But I don't look very 'cute' right now, so it doesn't matter."
"It does matter," Gura blurt out. Her gaze fell to the floor. "You matter, Watson."
A breath hitched in her throat. She didn't... Gura was just lying. Classic de-escalation tactics. She wouldn't be fooled.
"I don't," she snapped. "I don't matter, Gura. I'm... I'm nothing, now."
"What happened, Ame?" Gura pleaded. She took a step forward. Amelia's grip on the gun tightened, causing her to retreat.
"Please, I want to help," Gura cried. "I don't know what happened but I want to help. Please, just- just let me-"
"Gura."
Gura flinched like she was struck. It pained Amelia with every word but she just couldn't handle it.
"Leave me alone. I- hic- I don't need your help. You're better of saving some turtle from plastic than dealing with me."
"Why, Ame?" Gura's eyes flashed red again. "Is it- did I do something? Did I hurt you or something?"
Amelia let out a long sigh. "It's not your fault, Gura..."
"Then what is it?" Gura whispered. "What happened to you, Ame?"
"A God told me once." Amelia's stared at the ceiling, like she was counting each grain in the wood. "Humans are fragile. Weak. A speck in the eye of someone immortal or long-lived."
Amelia stared back down to the gun. It's cold weight felt heavy in her grip.
"I thought that as long as I had my watch, maybe I was more than that. That maybe I could spend more time with you guys."
Gura took a silent step forward. Amelia was too busy staring at nothing.
"Then it broke." Amelia let out the most pathetic chuckle she'd ever heard. "And now I'm worthless."
Gura stood silent. Her eyes were shifting between red and blue. She was mumbling something under her breath, a heavy frown on her face.
"Do you get it now, Gura?" Amelia raised the revolver back to her head. "...just leave before you see the mess. It's better than way."
"You're not worthless, Ame."
Gura took a tentative step forward. Amelia took a step back. "E-even without your time travel. Even if you weren't a detective."
She looked up, tears shining in those bright blue eyes.
"You'd still be my Ame."
-+-
Gura's heart was running a mile a minute. With all the adrenaline running through her, she could sprint a marathon or hunt a giant squid.
But adrenaline didn't help defuse a situation like this.
"Ame, you don't have to do this," she pleaded. "Put the gun down."
Ame looked away. Her grip still looked iron tight on the revolver. She couldn't snatch it away in time, even if Ame was drunk.
Maybe if you trained harder, then you would be fast enough for this, Gawr chimed helpfully.
Gura bit her lip. Her entire body was ready to pounce like a coiled spring. Amelia still wasn't saying anything. The brim of her hat covered her eyes.
"Ame. Put the gun down or I'll make you put it down."
That drew a smirk from Ame. "Try me, shark."
I can see why you like her, Gawr drawled. So feisty~
Gura ignored her. Her eyes flashed red as she mumbled something under her breath. A slow trickle of water reached beneath the detective.
Gura grinned despite herself.
"Bet."
She flicked her hand, a bubble appearing beneath Ame and capturing her hand. Without hesitation, Amelia tossed the gun into the air to grab it with her other hand.
Gura pounced, jumping into the air to snatch the weapon.
But she forgot about gravity.
She fell straight down, falling straight into the detective below. A surprised squeak came out of her mouth, along with a surprised hiccup from Ame.
Her breath came out in gasps. She shook her head, arms down to hold herself up. She opened her eyes.
Ame was beneath her, also breathing heavily. Those bright blue eyes finally looked the slightest bit alive, locked straight onto her. Her blonde hair was matted to her face with sweat. To anyone else, she would've looked like a mess.
Gura's eyes flicked to Ame's lips.
Alert! Romcom going on over here! Gawr chirped.
Gura let out a low growl. "Shut up."
Ame blinked up at her. "Who? Me?"
Gura shook her head. She settled her weight on Ame's waist. "It's not- it's fine. Just-"
Her hand snapped to catch Ame's wrist. She was reaching for the revolver.
"Could you just stop for one second!" Gura screamed. Ame flinched back.
Gura leaned down, breath mingling with Ame's. "I love you, okay? Get that through your thick skull, Watson. I. Care. About. You."
Amelia blinked slowly, like she was processing something like quantum physics. "But- but I can't time travel-"
"I don't care about your stupid watch!" Gura snapped. Her eyes flashed red. "I want you, Ame! With or without the watch."
Amelia let out an aborted sound. Her eyes gaze landed on Gura's face.
"...you do?"
"Of course I do, stupid," Gura huffed. Ame's breath on her face was making her tingly. "Why else would we share the same apartment?"
A small smirk graced Ame's lips. "'Cause you're broke?"
"Shut up," Gura hissed, but there wasn't anymore bite to it. Ame was finally smiling again. Small victories.
Gura leaned down, nuzzling her face into the crook of Ame's neck. It smelled like strawberries and alcohol.
"Don't leave me, Ame," her voice came out pitiful, like a child's whimpers. "Stay with me."
Amelia let out a slow exhale. Gura could feel every second of it. The detective's heartbeat slowed beneath her ear.
"...I will."