Grimm – Crazy Circles

What if Nick always knew?

Monroe could barely keep himself from trembling when the Grimm dropped down in front of him and smiled. The man, the monster, was handsome, boyish, and his eyes were the most terrifying thing Monroe ever saw, the blackness and emptiness in them threatening to swallow him whole before he even saw it coming, and he could not escape.

"Blutbad" – the Grimm stated, showing his teeth.

"Grimm" – Monroe managed.

"I hear you are the person to talk to for information in Portland"

"I–I don't know who told you that, but I'm not, I'm so not, man. Sir, I mean, sir"

"No need for formalities, Blutbad–"

"Monroe, my name–"

"I know what your name is, but if you don't mind, I would rather not get into name territory with you"

"A–Alright"

"I am going to stick around, and I am going to need someone to show me around town"

"And you chose me?!" – Monroe exclaimed, and the Grimm snorted.

"Not my first choice, to be sure, but I have been assured you are my best bet, so, what do you say, Blutbad?"

"Will you at least stop calling me that? My name in Monroe"

"Very well. Monroe" – the Grimm got up and smirked – "My name is Nick Burkhardt. It will be good working with you"

Such was the beginning of Monroe's unwilling partnership with Portland's new resident Grimm, Detective Nick Burkhardt (oh, and the Grimm was a cop, because of course he would be, Monroe's life wouldn't be screwed in just one way, the guy had to be a cop all too willing to use his shield to bury him).

Much to Monroe's surprise, though, the Grimm wasn't as horrible to work with as he thought he might be.

Yes, he used his shield in the most nefarious ways, threatening wesen without a hint of wariness, coolly that if he couldn't rip their heads off, he would make sure they were arrested and thrown in jail with the worst of the worst for years on end – that made wesen pee their pants as much as the Grimm's dark holes he called eyes. Well, maybe not as much, the Grimm's darkness could make even the toughest wesen shrink onto themselves.

"Monroe. Are you busy tonight?" – the Grimm questioned, as if he didn't fully expect Monroe to drop everything to assist him.

"No, I'm not"

"Good. I'm going to need your help, I have an underground fighting ring to tear down" – the viciousness in the Grimm's expression, falsely innocent, made Monroe freeze up for a moment.

He wondered if he was going to come home that night. The Grimm certainly did not care about his well being, so Monroe was on his own defending himself.

Not that the Grimm really needed him much, not when he could take on wesen after wesen with his superior fighting skills, impressive strength and a lifetime of being a Grimm. The man did not say as much, but such ease at going up against a taller, stronger, rougher opponent had to have come from somewhere, and Monroe had heard the whispers about the Grimm's mother and aunt, and how deadly they had been.

"You're not half bad, for a Blutbad" – the Grimm told him as he dared sit in Monroe's couch with a bloody lip and a multitude of bruises. To show how used to it Monroe had become, he even had the crappy beer the Grimm liked in his fridge for moments such as this, and he handed the man a cold one.

"And you're not half bad, you know, for a Grimm"

"Haven't heard that one before, especially from a wesen"

"Live and learn, I guess"

"Amen to that" – he took a drink – "I'm shocked you've never tried to poison me, you know" – Monroe gulped at the cold look the Grimm gave him.

"I wouldn't" – Monroe said softly.

"Maybe not, but it's still surprising"

"I'm a Blutbad working with a cop Grimm, can't get anymore unbelievable than that"

"My mom and aunt would have me running drills for days if they knew"

"Then let's hope they never find out, I'm sure I wouldn't walk out of it either"

"Likely"

"I'm glad you didn't rip my head off, you know"

"I know, no one likes to get decapitated"

"Anyone ever tell you how shitty your sense of humor is?"

"Plenty of people, in fact"

"They all still walking around?"

"Eh"

Despite himself, Monroe started to kind of like the Grimm, he started to trust the man to have his back, and wasn't that the most dangerous thing the Blutbad had ever done? But the Grimm wasn't all bad, he didn't murder ever wesen in his path, he spared many, in fact, though he did arrest them (when he could pin something on them). The Grimm wasn't all bad, no matter the way he sometimes made Monroe shiver in fear and apprehension when something of his ancestors came on his face.

"Monroe. I need your help"

"Okay?"

"My partner is getting suspicious of me, of us"

"... Okay?"

"I'm gonna need you to pretend to be my boyfriend"

"... What?"

"I can't tell him about wesen and Grimms"

"Well, of course not, but– Why– Why–"

"I told him we were screwing"

"But– But–!"

"He's always on my back for being happily single, this way, I kill two birds at once"

"But why–!"

"Just do it" – the Grimm stated, but it had been several months since they met, and Monroe was not having it.

"No! No, man, I've fought beside you, I've almost died because of you, I will NOT pretend to be your boyfriend!"

"... I'll pay you"

"Boyfriend, you said?" – hey, clockmaking didn't pay that well.