Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lucy toed off her shoes and flopped down onto her bed face first. What a day. What a year. She couldn’t believe her rookie year was over. She had finished her last day ever as a rookie officer, and just like the rest of her time as a rookie, the day had been anything but boring. Partially because of the Amber Alert, and partially because of the way she could. not. stop. herself from pushing Tim’s buttons.

“You did what?!” Jackson had asked when she told him at the bar, his mouth agape.

“I was proving a point!”

“I can’t believe you did that. What did Tim even say?!”

“Well he kind of looked like he was going to puke,” Lucy admitted. “And then he sort of fumbled through a response where he said thank you and that I was great, and then he was going to say something else when I finally put him out of his misery.”

Jackson blinked a few times as he stared at her. “Girl. That is savage.” He took a long sip of his beer before adding, “And...interesting.”

“Why interesting?”

Jackson raised an eyebrow and fixed her with a knowing look. “Lucy.”

“What?” She avoided his pointed gaze, pretended to be deeply interested in peeling the label off of her beer bottle.

“You were the psych major, you tell me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Jackson smirked. “I just find it interesting that the first thing you thought of to mess with Tim was confessing your love for him.”

“I did not confess my love for him,” Lucy scoffed, feeling suddenly very hot. “It was joke. Just a joke. Totally not even worth talking about anymore.”

“You just keep telling yourself that,” Jackson grinned.

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm before standing up from the table abruptly. “I’m getting another drink.”

Lucy rolled over onto her back and sat up, running a hand through her hair. Without thinking too hard about it, she pulled her phone out of her purse. 11pm was a perfectly reasonable time to text someone, right? Right. Lucy scrolled through her Favorites list and tapped out a message before she could lose her nerve.

Lucy: Based on Jackson’s reaction when I told him the story, I feel like I owe you another apology.

Ofc Bradford: Wrong number.

She laughed in spite of herself.

Lucy: Very funny.

Ofc Bradford: Did you apologize the first time? I must have missed it.

Lucy: I did! I said I was sorry!

Ofc Bradford: No, you said “it’s weird now, isn’t it?”

Lucy: OMGGGGG IN SIDDT.
Lucy: I mean I’m SORRY!
Lucy: I’ve had two shots of tequila.

Ofc Bradford: Ah, so this is a drunk apology.

Lucy: No, this is a real apology. Possibly a slightly tipsy apology. But a real apology.

Ofc Bradford: That Jackson guilted you into.

Lucy: Timmmmmmmmmm...

Ofc Bradford: Fine, apology accepted.
Ofc Bradford: I’m glad you texted actually.

Lucy: That’s a first.

Ofc Bradford: I know you were just trying to make a point today but I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said.

Lucy paused, her fingers hovering above the screen. Oh god, maybe he was actually mad at her. Maybe he had just been covering up his annoyance with her during their conversation in the parking garage.

Lucy: Okay...

Ofc Bradford: I don’t even really know how to say this.

Lucy leaned back against her pillow as she worried her bottom lip in between her teeth. Before she could figure out what to reply, a new text from him popped onto her screen.

Ofc Bradford: You’re not wrong that I’m protective of you. And that the idea of you going undercover is something I’m obviously not handling well. We’ve been through a lot together. You saved me from myself with Isabel, you helped me study for the sergeants exam, you force me not to take myself so seriously.

Lucy read the text a few times, her heart racing. She started typing a response, deleted it, then started again. She wished she could take back that last shot of tequila -- maybe then she’d be able to figure out what was happening right now. Lucy reread the whole chain again, squinting her eyes at the screen in an effort to focus her thoughts. Then she chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

Lucy: Oh I get it, you’re messing with me.

Ofc Bradford: Am I a guy who jokes around a lot Lucy?

Okay. Not the response she’d been expecting.

Lucy: No...

Ofc Bradford: I hadn’t let myself think about anything between us. But then hearing you say the words out loud today... I guess they made me finally admit some things I’d been trying to avoid.

Lucy tossed the phone away from her in a panic, before scurrying to the end of the bed and picking it back up quickly.

Lucy: Tim, for real are you being serious right now?

Ofc Bradford: Have I ever lied to you Lucy?

Her thumbs are poised over the phone, her mind spinning as she tries to figure out what to say. But another message from Tim comes first.

Ofc Bradford: I get that you were just messing with me today. But I feel like I’d be a coward if I wasn’t honest with you now. Even if it screws things up between us.

Lucy swears she feels her heart skip a beat as another long text comes right after the last one.

Ofc Bradford: I think I do have feelings for you Lucy. And maybe I have for a long time. Definitely since what happened with Caleb...and probably even before that. I’ve tried to ignore it, tried to act like you don’t mean more to me than any other rookie I’ve trained, but I just can’t anymore.

Lucy: Tim, I

She accidentally presses send before she means to, and then she stops as three little dots appear next to his name. She watches them blink for a full minute, then disappear. Then reappear. Then disappear again.

An involuntary yelp escapes from Lucy’s lips, and she flips her phone over so she can’t see the screen.

She has no idea how to respond. And worse yet, she has no idea how she even feels. Sure, the things she said in the shop today had crossed her mind before. She hadn’t let herself dwell on them — she couldn’t while she was still a rookie and he was still her T.O.

But sometimes late at night, when she was in that dreamy space right before sleep, Lucy let herself think about Tim as something else. Something more.

Oh god, Jackson had been right.

Her phone finally dings, and Lucy stares at it for a few more seconds. Then she takes a deep breath, and reaches out for it. She hadn’t been expecting it at all, but maybe it really was time for them both to stop fooling themselves.

Lucy turns the phone over, and there staring back at her is...a photo of her covered in flour from all those months ago. And a single word.

Ofc Bradford: Gotcha.

Lucy: TIM BRADFORD I HATE YOU.

Ofc Bradford: No you don’t, you love me. You said so yourself today.

Lucy: YOU’RE THE WORST.
Lucy: THE WOOOOOORST.

Lucy can’t tell if it’s because she’s relieved or disappointed or some weird mixture of both, but either way she’s clutching her stomach as the laughter overtakes her.

Lucy: For the record, I’m also mad that I don’t have my own photo of you covered in flour.

Her phone dings again, and Lucy gasps in delight when she sees that it’s a selfie of Tim sitting in his car earlier tonight, his face still dusted with flour. He’s smiling.

Lucy: Okay you’re forgiven.
Lucy: Thank you for my new lockscreen.
Lucy: We’re even now.

Ofc Bradford: We are definitely not even.
Ofc Bradford: I’m going to lay low for so long, you’ll think I’ve forgotten all about this.
Ofc Bradford: And boom, that’s when I’ll get you.

Lucy: How do you know I won’t get you first?

Ofc Bradford: Because you take tequila shots and send tipsy apology texts.

Lucy: You love it.

Ofc Bradford: I tolerate it.

Lucy: Keep telling yourself that.
Lucy: Okay, this has been enough excitement for one day. I’m going to bed now.

Ofc Bradford: Take some Advil and drink a lot of water.

Lucy: Yes, sir.

Ofc Bradford: See you tomorrow Lucy.

Lucy: See you tomorrow Tim.

Lucy’s fingers hover over the keyboard, traitorously itching to continue the conversation despite her better judgment. Then she shakes her head and navigates to her Favorites list again. She clicks on Ofc Bradford and edits his contact info.

Tim.

Chapter Text

Angela: these two idiots

Jackson: Tim and Lucy?

Angela: who else?

Jackson: OMG what exactly did Tim tell you?

Angela: told me how she pranked him on her last rookie day
Angela: he was acting all cool like he didn’t care, except he talked about it for 15 full minutes

Jackson: LOL
Jackson: Yeah the way Lucy described his reaction was that he was a damn mess

Angela: then he tells me he pulled the exactly same love confession prank on her later that night over text
Angela: all casual, like i’m an idiot instead of his best friend who’s a freaking detective

Jackson: WHAT
Jackson: WAIT WHAT I HAVE NOT HEARD THIS
Jackson: LUCY DID NOT TELL ME THIS

Angela: :eyeroll emoji:

Jackson: So they’re basically just confessing their love for each other over and over again and calling it pranks?

Angela: yep
Angela: like i said, idiots

Jackson: This is getting ridiculous.

Angela: i have a plan
Angela: wesley says it’s not nice to trick people
Angela: so obviously I’m going to trick them

Jackson: Are we going to Parent Trap them?

Angela: the lindsay lohan version?

Jackson: Is there another version?

Angela: yes
Angela: you youths have no culture

Jackson: You are not that much older than me!

Angela: but i’m so much wiser

Jackson: Fair.
Jackson: Whatever you’re planning, count me in.

Angela: :devil face emoji:

Chapter Text

“I do not have time for this.”

“Time for what?” John Nolan asked, walking up to where Nyla, Angela, and Jackson were standing close together. All three sets of their eyes were trained on the bullpen across the room.

“Time to hear about how these two fools want to play Cupid,” Nyla deadpanned, sipping her coffee.

John turned to see what they were all staring at and saw Tim and Lucy through the glass of the bullpen. Lucy was perched on the end of a table, her arms gesticulating animatedly as she told a story. Tim’s arms were crossed as he sat in the chair next to her, but his head was tipped backwards with laughter at something she had just said.

“We’re not ‘playing Cupid,’ we are facilitating a love connection that clearly already exists,” Jackson protested.

Angela smirked. “You’re making it sound fancy. I’m just trying to get them both to pull their heads out of their own asses.”

“Wait, are we talking about Tim and Lucy?” John asked.

Nyla nodded. “Lopez and West think they are secretly pining for each other — ”

“They are,” Jackson interjected.

“So now they’ve concocted a scheme to get them together,” Nyla finished, rolling her eyes.

“Oh yeah, those two definitely want to bone,” came a voice from behind the group. They all whirled around to see Smitty leaning against a desk next to them.

“They don’t want to bone, they are in love,” Jackson said. “And stop eavesdropping, Smitty.”

Smitty shrugged. “Stop having private conversations in the middle of the precinct.”

“Wanting to bone and being in love aren’t mutually exclusive,” Nyla acknowledged.

“Thank you,” Smitty said.

“Oh, I’m not like defending you. I’m just stating a fact.”

“Did I miss a memo that this morning’s meeting is out here today?” Sergeant Grey asked as he stepped up to the group suddenly, his arms folded across his chest.

“Sergeant Grey! We were just, umm --” Jackson stuttered, his eyes shifting to Angela nervously.

Grey’s face was a stern, unreadable mask. “What exactly is so interesting to all my officers this morning?”

Angela did her best to play it cool. “Just personal stuff, sir,” she feigned indifferently. “Nothing important.”

Grey raised an eyebrow. “See, this is the problem with becoming a boss. No one tells you the good gossip anymore.” The sergeant stared down the whole group with a knowing look before turning to John.

“Officer Nolan, tell me what you all were talking about.”

John’s mouth dropped open as he blinked at Grey. “Is that an order, sir?”

“Do I need to make it one?”

John gulped and looked around at everyone helplessly. “Ah, we were just — it’s just that, um…” Jackson and Angela busied themselves with staring anywhere but at Nolan, while Nyla’s expression was pure ‘hey, don’t look at me.’ Off to the side, Smitty chuckled, not even bothering to hide how amusing he found the situation.

“Officer Lopez and Officer West think that Tim and Lucy like each other,” John finally blurted out. “Romantically, I mean. Sir.”

The entire group held their breaths for a few seconds. Then Grey’s usual intimidating expression melted into a smile. “Oh, I already knew that.”

“You — you did?” Jackson managed to say.

Grey leaned in and dropped his voice down to a whisper. “He turned down a sergeant job so he could keep training her.”

“Oh my god, I knew there was more to that story,” Angela exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Sergeant Grey nodded, looking pleased with himself. “Look who’s got the gossip now.”

Jackson had regained his composure and was grinning now. “Did you know that he adopted her dog after she couldn’t take care of it anymore?”

Grey placed a hand over his heart. “Oh, my wife is going to love that.”

“You have all lost your damn minds,” Nyla mumbled into her coffee cup.

“I have a plan to help them figure things out,” Angela told Grey in a low, conspiratorial voice.

“Oh do you?”

From the side of the group, John cleared his throat suddenly. “I hate to be a spoilsport, but have you considered that Lucy might have...mixed feelings about dating a fellow cop?” He asked, looking at Jackson meaningfully.

Everyone looked back and forth between Nolan and Jackson.

“What’s this weird secret conversation eye contact thing you two are doing?” Nyla asked, narrowing her eyes at them.

John tilted his head knowingly at Jackson, who gave a little shrug as if to say it’s your secret, not mine.

After a few moments of awkward silence, John sighed. “Lucy and I dated briefly when we were first rookies, and Lucy broke it off because she thought dating another cop would hurt her career,” he revealed in a low voice.

The gasp that came from the group was so loud it briefly caused Tim and Lucy to glance through the bullpen windows at them. They both stared at the group for a few seconds before returning to their conversation.

“WHAT?!” Angela guffawed, her eyes wide.

Nyla, meanwhile, had burst out laughing, and Sergeant Grey looked like he was smelling something particularly unpleasant. Jackson, at least, had the decency to keep his expression neutral.

“Is it really that shocking?” John protested. “I mean, Tim is also a few years older than Lucy.”

“Yeah, but Tim is...” Angela started to explain. “I mean, he’s…” She turned to Nyla. “Help me out here, Harper.”

“Yeah no, Bradford is….he’s like, um --”

“Tim Bradford is objectively hot,” Smitty interjected, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

John blanched, “I mean yes, fair enough, but --”

Jackson stepped into the center of the group, cutting off the conversation. “Ooookay, setting aside Officer Bradford’s, um, hotness,” he turned to John, his expression serious. “Nolan, I think this would make Lucy really, really happy. I wouldn’t be doing anything if I didn’t truly think that.”

John considered his friend for a few moments. “Okay,” he said finally, acknowledging the truth of Jackson’s words. “So what’s the mission then?” he pivoted, rubbing his hands together.

“This isn’t Ocean’s 11, I don’t have a special job for each of you,” Angela rolled her eyes. Then she turned to Sergeant Grey. “But I do need them both to have the same day off?”

Grey winked at her. “Consider it done, Detective Lopez.”

“Are we actually going to do roll call today, or what?” Tim called out suddenly from across the room, leaning out of the door of the bullpen. Lucy was standing next to him, eyeing the huddled group of her fellow officers curiously.

Sergeant Gray cleared his throat. “Roll call starts when I say it starts,” he barked out. “And I say it starts now, so everyone get your asses in there.” Jackson, Nolan, Harper, and Smitty quickly followed behind Grey, while Angela scurried over to her desk in the detective pod without another word.

Nolan took his seat at the front of the room, while Jackson grabbed a chair at the desk behind where Tim and Lucy were sitting next to each other. Sergeant Grey cleared his throat and shuffled his notes around on the podium.

“Quiet everyone, quiet please,” Grey commanded as everyone settled in. Then he caught Jackson’s eye meaningfully. “First things first, HR wanted me to let you all know that the official policy on officers dating each other.”

“Oh my god...” Jackson whispered under his breath. Harper’s eyes bugged out and her eyebrows shot up toward her hairline.

“Which is that it’s completely fine as long as one officer is not the direct superior of another officer,” Grey continued.

Nolan coughed loudly, while Smitty could barely manage to keep the shit-eating grin off his face as he held back a laugh. Tim shot a confused sideways glance at Lucy, who just shrugged her shoulders, her pen poised above her notepad as usual.

“So, um, I hope that clears things up for anyone who was wondering. Or not wondering,” Grey finished, his eyes shifting around the room once more before he moved onto the rest of the morning’s briefing.

Jackson surreptitiously pulled his phone out from his back pocket and hid it under the table as he typed out a quick message.

Jackson: Don’t tell Grey anything else, he’s a loose cannon.

Angela: roger that

Chapter Text

Tim: I feel like I didn’t know what I was signing up for when I agreed to be your Man of Honor.

Angela: you swore on a macaron, you can’t back out

Tim: I’m not backing out. I’m just saying.

Angela: wesley and i are both swamped with cases

Tim: I know, I know. I’m just giving you crap.

Angela: not very man of honorly
Angela: man of honory?
Angela: just shut the hell up tim
Angela: IM COOKING A BABY AND PLANNING A WEDDING AND SOLVING A MURDER RIGHT NOW

Tim: I’ll take care of everything today, don’t worry.

Angela: thank u
Angela: ur the best

Tim: I know.

Angela: :eyeroll emoji:

Tim tucked his phone in his back pocket as he walked up to the door of the bakery. The bakery where he was going to be tasting wedding cakes for the next two hours, apparently. The things he did for this best friend.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late,” came a voice from behind him. “I stopped for my chai latte and then there was this dog adoption thing outside the coffee shop -- and I know what you’re going to say, I’m not getting another dog, but I just had to pet some of them --”

Tim whirled around and saw Lucy hurrying toward him. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she was wearing a long, flowy dress with tiny green and white flowers all over it. Tim was momentarily transfixed by her bare collarbone and the way the thin straps of her dress curved over her shoulders.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “What are you doing here?” Just then Tim heard the pings of new text messages and pulled out his phone.

Angela: oh and i asked lucy to help with everything
Angela: i love you bradford but i also wanted a woman’s opinion
Angela: and my bridesmaids are all crazy
Angela: sorry i forgot to tell you
Angela: pregnancy brain

“Angela didn’t mention I was coming?” Lucy asked, taking the last few steps toward him. A light breeze ruffled her hair, and Tim caught a whiff of something sweet and floral. Something he had smelled before but never let himself dwell on in the confines of the shop.

“Pregnancy brain, apparently,” he said, holding up his phone. “I thought I was riding solo all day.”

Lucy looked past him at the bakery window, which was filled with tiered trays piled high with sweets. “Wait, so your plan was to just eat a bunch of wedding cakes all alone?”

Tim rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t going to eat the whole cakes, Chen.”

“But you were really going to do everything by yourself?” she pressed.

“It’s a list of errands, not an Avengers movie,” he scoffed. “I don’t need to assemble a whole team.”

Lucy took a step closer, her face serious. “Does Angela know where you buried a body or something?” She lowered her voice to a mock whisper. “You can tell me the truth.”

“I take my Man of Honor duties seriously,” he protested, but an involuntary smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“I’m just saying, I would really like to know the secret to getting Tim Bradford to do my bidding.” Her tone was light, but there was a hint of something else in her eyes.

Tim’s throat was suddenly very dry, but he didn’t let himself think too hard about why that might be. “Did you agree to help just so you could give me crap all day?”

Lucy pretended to think very seriously about his question. “I also wanted to eat cake.”

Tim laughed in spite of himself. “Well then by all means, let’s eat cake.”

“Only if you’re sure you can handle sharing,” she teased.

“You are a pain in my ass, Boot,” he said under his breath as he held open the door for her.

“I’m not your Boot anymore, remember?” she replied, fixing him with a look that made him feel suddenly very warm.

Like he could forget.

---

Angela: the mission is a go

Jackson: Yesssssss.

Nolan: Ay yay Captain Lopez.

Nyla: Unsubscribe.

---

The sweet smell of freshly baked cakes and other goodies hit them as soon as they stepped into the bakery.

Lucy rushed over to the display case and pressed her hands up against the glass as she surveyed the rows of cupcakes topped with lush swirls of frosting and the decadent piles of truffles. “This is going to be the best favor I’ve ever done,” she grinned. Tim shook his head, but had to admit that her enthusiasm was a tiny bit infectious.

A tall woman with dark hair emerged from behind the counter, dusting her flour covered hands off on her apron. “Mr. Evers, Ms. Lopez, welcome! It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Carmen and I’m going to be helping you out today.”

Tim furrowed his brow and stopped short. “Oh, we’re not --”

“Babe!” Lucy said suddenly, hooking her arm through Tim’s and pulling him back toward the entrance of the shop. “Can I talk to you for a second? Privately.”

Carmen eyed them both curiously, but had dealt with enough couples in the throes of wedding planning to know when to make herself scarce. “I’ll give you two a minute and go get everything ready in the kitchen,” she said, disappearing into the back.

“What are you doing --?” Tim started to say before Lucy untangled her arm and put a finger up to his lips.

“She thinks we’re Angela and Wesley,” she whispered.

“Yes,” Tim found himself whispering back even though he had no idea what was happening. “I gathered as much.”

“Well, what if she won’t let us do the tasting if we aren’t Angela and Wesley?” Lucy pointed out.

Tim scoffed. “What? That’s ridiculous --”

“You really want to tell Angela that we didn’t finish her whole list?”

The protest died on Tim’s lips. “Well, no,” he admitted.

“Then we should just go along with it,” Lucy reasoned.

“This is silly,” he groused.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by both shoulders. “Tim Bradford, will you just pretend to be happily engaged to me so we can stuff our faces with wedding cake to make our pregnant friend happy?”

“Fine,” he huffed. “But if things go wrong, let the record state that I wanted to come clean from the beginning.”

“Everything will be fine.” Lucy’s smile turned mischievous. “Besides, haven’t we established that I’m amazing at undercover deception?” She quirked one eyebrow up playfully, her eyes challenging him.

Tim could hear Carmen shuffling around in the kitchen, so he took a step towards Lucy and leaned in until his lips were hovering just above her ear. “I seem to remember you were just as amazing at being duped.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn’t pull away. In fact, she took a step closer, her chest almost pressing against his. “You’re just afraid you’ll slip up before I do and blow our cover.”

Tim’s fingers itched and he idly wondered what would happen if he pressed them against her hips. “If anyone is going to blow our cover, it’s going to be you,” he retorted, his voice low and gravelly.

“Are you guys ready to start the tasting?” Carmen asked as she emerged from the kitchen holding a tray laden with every kind of cake imaginable.

“You bet we are.” Lucy stepped back, but held Tim’s gaze as she hooked her arm through his again. She placed her other hand against his chest and Tim wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was beating.

“I also have champagne in the back if you’d like? Makes everything feel more festive.”

“Do you have any tequila back there?” Tim asked innocently. Lucy made a move to swat his chest but he caught her hand in his before she could follow through.

“Champagne would be great,” Lucy said, and Carmen once again disappeared into the kitchen.

“It’s 10am, Chen,” Tim whispered through a gritted-teeth smile. He still had her hand clasped in his, but neither of them made a move to change that.

Lucy just looked up at him with an impish grin. “Game on Bradford.”

---

Nolan: Sergeant Grey just cornered me while I was booking someone and asked if I knew what was happening with T & L

Angela: don’t tell him anything

Nolan: He’s looking at me with the scary eyes.

Nyla: Nolan is gonna break. No question.

Jackson: Stay strong, bro.

---

“Chocolate.”

“No way! Strawberry lemon all the way.”

They were two glasses of champagne deep and had tried -- no joke -- sixteen different flavors of cake. If you had asked Tim before this how many flavors of cake there were, he would have said five, tops. Maybe six if ice cream cake counted as a flavor. Oh god, were they going to have to try ice cream cake next?

“Carmen, can you believe I’m marrying a man who only likes chocolate cake? Like a child,” Lucy griped.

Carmen laughed. “Nothing wrong with a classic flavor.”

“Thank you,” Tim said, taking a sip of his champagne. “I’m a classic kind of guy.”

“Oh definitely,” Lucy said, reaching her fork out to snag a bite of the salted caramel option Carmen had just put down in front of them. “Like a vintage car. Or CDs.”

Tim nearly choked on his drink. “Are you calling me old?”

“I’m calling you classic,” She gave him a devilish grin as she took a bite of the cake on her fork. Lucy’s eyes immediately rolled back with bliss. “Oh my god, you have to try this one Ti --” she stopped short.

“What was that?” he asked, leaning in with a smug smirk on his face.

“Nothing,” Lucy said quickly. She reached out to grab another forkful and pushed it toward him.

“No really, what did you say?” Tim insisted, his face a picture of mock innocence. “I never want to miss a single word you say, honey.”

Lucy shoved the cake into his mouth. “Just that I love you so much, babe,” she replied through clenched teeth. They held each other’s gaze, the unspoken challenge of who would break first coursing between them.

“You two are so sweet together,” Carmen grinned as she set down another cake option in front of them. “How did you meet?”

Lucy broke eye contact with Tim and leaned against the back of her chair. “We met at work. I didn’t like him at first because he was such a jerk.”

“Hey now -- ” Tim started to protest.

“Like a huge jerk,” Lucy went on, sipping her champagne. “The biggest jerk. I’m serious, he was a real ass--”

Tim attempted to shove a piece of cake into her mouth to cut her off, but Lucy deftly deflected him with her fork.

“Am I misrepresenting our early days together?”

Tim sighed. “Okay yes, I was a jerk when we first met,” he admitted, earning a gloating smile from Lucy. “Maybe even the biggest jerk. But I was going through...a lot of heavy stuff. Stuff she actually helped me through.”

“Awwww, and is that how you fell in love?” Carmen asked.

Lucy looked at Tim, her expression turning pensive. “Not quite yet. Later on, I had some...heavy stuff happen to me too --”

Tim moved his arm around to the back of her chair. “You don’t have to --”

“I know.” They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds, both remembering that dark day when death came knocking at her door. And then all the days after when he helped remind her how strong she truly was. “Long story short, I survived,” she whispered after a moment, her eyes never leaving his.

Tim let himself reach around to squeeze her shoulder, and felt her lean in closer to him. “Did you just quote Taylor Swift?” he teased in a low voice, attempting to lighten her mood.

His words had the desired effect as Lucy laughed, loud and bright. “Did you just know that I quoted Taylor Swift?”

“She’s a very talented songwriter, Lu --”

She slapped her hand against his thigh triumphantly and her lips split into a dazzling grin. “What were you saying?”

Tim scrubbed a hand over his mouth as he held back a laugh. “I think we need more champagne, Carmen.”

Carmen nodded politely and stepped back into the kitchen to fetch another bottle.

“Oh, and we’d like to order the tres leches cake please,” he called out after her.

Tim didn’t let himself think about the fact that his arm was still wrapped around Lucy’s shoulder, or that her hand was still clutching his thigh. But when she leaned in close, her face mere inches away from his, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at her lips.

“I think we both almost blew our cover,” she murmured with an easy smile.

“I blame all the cake,” he deadpanned. Lucy dissolved into giggles, her body shaking as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Tim added that to the long list of things he wasn’t thinking about.

---

(310) 555-6789: We should do a pool

Angela: who is this

(310) 555-6789: Smitty

Angela: how did you get this number

(310) 555-6789: I have my ways
(310) 555-6789: A betting pool about when Bradford and Chen will get it on

Angela: stop being gross
Angela: we are not doing a pool

(310) 555-6789: I’ll bet $100

Angela: ok maybe we can do a pool

Chapter Text

Angela: how’s it going?

Tim: Ordered the cake, picked up the invitations, and now the Lyft just dropped us off at the bridal shop.

Angela: the lyft?

Tim: ...
Tim: There may have been champagne at the cake tasting.

Angela: interesting

Tim: Don’t use that tone.

Angela: there is no tone timothy

---

To: jackson rookie, nolan rookie, nyla harper

Angela: good news they’re drunk

---

“Pssssssst! Tim!”

Tim had just finished talking to the bridal shop employee, who had gone into the back of the shop to find the tux he was supposed to be trying on, when he heard Lucy call out to him. He whirled around, only to realize that she was nowhere to be found.

“Lucy?”

He heard a giggle from somewhere behind the rows and rows of voluminous white dresses crowding every wall of the shop. “Marco!”

Tim chuckled as he moved toward the sound of her voice. “Wow, you are a lightweight.”

“You’re supposed to say polo, Officer Bradford,” she grumbled. He could picture her fond eye roll.

“Polo,” he demurred, taking a step toward a row of dresses that was rustling conspicuously.

“Marco,” she sing-songed again. Tim took another step toward the sound of her voice, and with the practiced stealth of a former soldier he swept two dresses apart suddenly to reveal Lucy hiding behind them, an elated smile on her face.

“You found me!” Tim couldn’t help but laugh at how utterly delighted she looked, her whole expression lit up from within. He had always felt like being around Lucy was akin to sitting in the sun on spring day -- you couldn’t help but turn your face toward the warmth. But he could never fully let himself enjoy it while he was training her; while they were always seconds away from a bad call that might go desperately wrong. But now, watching her grin up at him while pressed between frothy white gowns, Tim let himself bask in her glow for just a moment.

Lucy reached out a hand to pull him towards her, and he half-disappeared into the sea of taffeta. His skin buzzed with the awareness of how close their bodies were, but he kept his voice level. “Whatcha doing, Chen?”

“Playing Marco Polo. Duh,” she drawled out, her eyes playful.

Tim shifted his hands into his pockets. Mostly because he was afraid of what he might do with them if they were left to their own devices. “But why?”

Without warning, Lucy put her own hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye, her expression serious. “There is a small chance I did not need that last glass of champagne.”

Tim tipped his head back and laughed. He could feel the buzz of the champagne coursing through his own veins, making him feel loose and light. The sensation was foreign, but not unwelcome. He chanced taking another small step toward her, bringing their bodies flush against each other. “I can’t take you anywhere, Boot.” His voice came out lower than he intended it to, and Tim could swear he felt Lucy shiver ever so slightly against him.

“Um, Mr. Bradford?” came a voice from behind them. “I have your tuxedo ready if you’re done...browsing.”

Lucy smirked, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth as she continued to gaze up at him. Tim could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ear, could smell her perfume all around him. They stared at each other in silence and the moment stretched on, somehow tense and unhurried at the same time.

“Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone,” he said finally, taking a reluctant step back.

Lucy’s words came out softy and breathy. “No promises.”

---

Nolan: Will someone please tell Harper that we have time to drive by the wedding shop? Just to take a peek.

Nyla: Will someone please tell Nolan, over my dead body

Jackson: Noooooooooooooo don’t do that!!!!

Nyla: That was a lot of o’s

Angela: and exclamation points

Jackson: I might have just driven by the bridal shop.

Angela: :facepalm emoji:
Angela: why did i tell you guys anything

Jackson: We were in the neighborhood, okay?!

Angela: wait who’s we

---

“How do I look?”

Tim emerged from a dressing room to find Lucy sprawled out atop a pink sofa, her long hair hanging over the end of one arm as she sipped from a bottle of water she had managed to procure. He was dressed in the tuxedo Wesley had chosen for the wedding, a classic black suit with a crisp white shirt and a perfectly tied bow tie.

Lucy tilted her head to the side to look at him, then sat up suddenly, almost spilling on herself. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again quickly. She stared at him for a few more seconds, then shook her head vigorously like she was trying to clear her thoughts.

“You look...good,” she said finally, her voice an octave higher than normal.

Tim lifted an eyebrow. “Just good?”

Lucy turned her head to the side, but Tim could see her still staring at him in the three-way mirror. “Yes, good. Good is a perfectly...good word.”

“Wow, the eloquence, Chen,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, turning to face him. “You look very nice, okay?”

“Very nice? Wow, I am wounded,” he feigned. “I need to go find another tux immediately.”

“Oh my god, you look amazing, okay?” Lucy groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. “Like a sun-tanned James Bond. Like almost as good as you look in your uniforms with the tight short sleeves!” She clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as the words escaped her lips.

Tim’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?”

Lucy looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole, but she settled for pressing her face against one of the lacy pillows sitting next to her on the sofa. “The sleeves on your uniform…” she finally explained, her face still hidden behind the pillow, “are very...tight.”

“I work out,” he pointed out diplomatically.

“I know.” The pillow was now back in her lap, but she was still avoiding his eyes. “And people notice.”

“People?” Tim tried and failed to keep the smug smile off his face.

“People.”

“Wow, I did not realize that my Mid-Wilshire colleagues cared so much about my sleeves.” Tim shifted around to look at himself in the mirror but didn’t miss the way Lucy’s eyes shifted back toward him when he turned away from her.

“We’re police officers. We are very...observant,” she said innocently.

“Can we go back to when you said I looked, and I quote, amazing?” Tim caught her eyes in the mirror and waggled his eyebrows up and down.

“Oh my god, stop fishing for compliments!” Lucy hurled the pillow at him and he turned around quickly to catch it effortlessly. “You know you’re hot. Tamara calls your Officer Zaddy.”

It was Tim’s turn to gape at her. “What the hell is a zaddy?”

“Oh thank god.” Lucy laughed long and hard. “I had to google it but I didn’t want Tamara to think I was lame so I pretended to know.”

“Who’s old now?”

“I did not call you old.”

“You did,” he insisted, tossing the pillow back at her before strolling over to sit beside her. “So far today you have called me old and hot. And a zaddy, whatever that is.”

Lucy tucked her feet up underneath her, and Tim found it hard to tear his eyes away from the sliver of her thigh that was suddenly exposed just below the hem of her dress. “It’s like old and hot mixed together, actually.”

“Oh,” he pretended to think about it. “Well then, I accept.”

She leaned over to poke him in the shoulder with her finger. “Tim Bradford, you are secretly so thirsty.”

“Is it technically thirsty if someone already called you hot and you’re just asking them to repeat themselves? For evidence.”

Lucy rolled her eyes but laughed. “I’m never drinking with you again.”

“Now what would be the fun in that?” He teased, and Lucy looked for a second like she might throw the pillow at him again. Tim held up his hands in surrender. “Look, just let me just ask the salesperson about the shoes Wesley wants, and then what do you say we grab fish tacos at the truck we saw around the block.”

“That sounds amazing,” Lucy smiled.

Tim stood up and smoothed the front of the jacket back down. “Amazing like my uniform sleeves or amazing like how I look in this tux?”

With that, he darted back into the front of the store and Lucy huffed as the pillow hit the wall of the changing area with a thud.

---

(310) 555-6789: So are we calling them Tucy or Chenford?

Nolan: Who is this?

Angela: it’s smitty

Jackson: Smitty, I told you not to text everyone.

Nyla: For the love of god

Nolan: We can’t just call them Lucy and Tim?

(310) 555-6789: I think I like Tucy better

Jackson: No way, Chenford is way better.

Angela: i mean if we’re voting, i like chenford too

Nolan: Me three!

(310) 555-6789: Chenford it is then

Nyla: I will never forgive you all for adding me to this text chain.

---

Tim made his way back into the dressing rooms, only to find that Lucy was, once again, nowhere to be found. “Are we playing hide and seek this time?”

“Stay there!” Lucy called out from inside one of the dressing rooms.

He took a step towards where she seemed to be hiding out. “What are you doing?”

“Just give me one more second --”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m better than okay,” Lucy giggled as she threw open the dressing room door with a flourish. “I’m fancy!”

Tim stopped in his tracks as he took her in. Somehow she had found the poofiest, most over-the-top, most covered-in-crystals-and-lace-with-a-skirt-so-wide-it-could-barely-fit-through-the-dressing-room-door wedding dress in the whole damn store. And then she had decided to put it on and prance around in it. So help him, Tim let out an honest to god cackle at the sight of her. “Wow.”

“I know what you’re about to say,” Lucy grinned, attempting to twirl around in front of the mirrors but almost falling on her face when the wide skirt caught on the edge of a chair. “You’re about to say that I also look hot.”

Tim couldn’t stop laughing as he pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of her. “Oh yeah, definitely looking good, Officer Chen.”

“You just looked so fancy all dressed up. I had to get in on the action.”

“You look like a lemon meringue pie that ate a bag of marshmallows and then decided to live inside a cloud,” he mused, his camera still trained on her.

Lucy doubled over with a snort and clutched her stomach as she giggled. “That’s exactly what I was going for!” The end of her train was still inside the dressing room, and she attempted to drag it out with an inelegant tug that once again almost ended with her sprawled out on the floor.

Tim snickered, and she narrowed her eyes at him in the mirror. “Are you taking a video?”

“No...”

“Liar,” she griped, but it was without bite. “That’s enough blackmail material, come take a picture with me.”

Lucy reached out a hand toward him, and Tim stared at it for a moment. They had touched each other’s bodies before -- today, pressed between rows of dresses, and before, clutching each other desperately with relief on that dusty hillside. But something about the simplicity of holding Lucy’s hand felt different to him. More intimate, somehow.

She still had her upturned palm stretched out toward him, her smile patient. Like she’d wait all day for him if she needed to. Tim stepped forward and took her hand into his own. He fought the urge to thread their fingers together, but also wondered if she’d stop him.

“We look good together,” Lucy said matter-of-factly, slipping her arm through his. She struck a pose. Tim shook his head and chuckled, but found himself matching her stance.

“We do,” he agreed, snapping a few photos as they continued to pose, both giggling. Tim held up his phone to show her one of the pictures he had just taken. They looked utterly ridiculous, him in his tux and her in the world’s most outrageous wedding dress, both of their faces lit up with laughter.

“Definite lockscreen material,” Lucy winked, flopping back down onto the sofa.

He grinned, and on a whim texted Angela one of the photos. Just to prove he had completed the tux errand. That was all.

“Tim,” Lucy said suddenly. “I’m having fun. Hanging out with you today, I mean.” There was still mirth in her eyes, but now it was mixed with a hint of vulnerability.

He could sense that her mood had shifted, so he moved closer to where she was sitting. Her dress took up almost the whole sofa, but Tim shuffled aside some of the yards of silk and lace to sit down next to her. “Me too, Lucy.”

She picked at one of the crystal beads dotting her skirt. “It’s gonna sound stupid but...I didn’t know if we would do this, you know? After we were done with training.”

Tim furrowed his brow. “You didn’t know if we would hang out?”

“I didn’t,” she said, suddenly looking very shy after the shenanigans of the last few minutes. “I know my whole list thing on my last rookie day was kind of ridiculous. But I think I was just trying to see...if everything we went through mattered to you.” She took a deep breath, as if to steel herself. “If I mattered to you.”

Tim was momentarily struck silent. “It wasn’t clear that you matter to me?” he said finally.

Lucy looked like she was trying to find the right words. “You’re a hard man to read sometimes,” she settled on.

“I…” He pulled his fingers through his hair. “...have heard that before. Once or twice.”

“Sometimes I think I have you figured out,” she continued, more quietly. “And other times...I don’t want to try and figure you out.”

Something about her openness -- about the way she let her vulnerabilities show even when it made her uncomfortable -- made Tim feel off-kilter. Like he couldn’t match her genuine goodness and shouldn’t even try. He could feel his own internal walls instinctively coming up and he did his best to tamp them down, but his voice still came out more distant than he intended it to. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to try and guess your thoughts or psychoanalyze your feelings. I’ve been on the other end of that and it sucks,” Lucy explained, forming her words slowly, like she wanted to get them right. “I guess I just...want to be close enough that you tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I --” Tim felt a little like he was having the wind knocked out of him, but he tried not to let it show. It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard before that he was closed off -- that in recent years he had tended to make his true feelings nearly impossible to reach. He knew he hid behind barked orders and banter and pretending like he was above the complications that came from caring about people. She had once teased him that they were becoming friends and he had, what, given her a begrudging nod? Like he didn’t enjoy every single moment they spent together. Like she wasn’t worthy of hearing every day how much she meant to him.

Tim realized with a start that he still hadn’t replied to her. He opened his mouth to finally say something, unsure of exactly what, but he knew he had to make her place in his life clear, when Lucy cut him off.

“Wow, that sounded super needy.”

“No --” he started to protest.

She stood up suddenly. “I clearly need to eat something. Too much champagne and I’m getting all drippy and pathetic,” Lucy rushed through her words, already walking back towards the dressing room without looking at him. “I’m going to change and let’s go get those tacos.”

“Lucy, don’t --”

But she was already pulling the door of the dressing room shut, leaving Tim sitting all alone in his tux, his mouth still hanging open. He dropped his head down into his hands, wondering what the hell had just happened.

---

Angela: *photo of Tim and Lucy in a tux and gown at the bridal shop*

Sgt. Grey: I have been waiting hours for an update.
Sgt. Grey: And this exceeds my expectations.
Sgt. Grey: You’re good.

Angela: i am
Angela: you should promote me

Sgt. Grey: You need to complete the mission first.

Angela: yes sir

Chapter Text

Nyla: Any word from Bradford and Chen?

---

Jackson: Got any news???

---

Nyla: Not that I care
Nyla: Smitty was just taking bets on when they’ll finally get together

---

Sgt. Grey: I need an update on the special operation, Detective Lopez.

---

Nyla: Nolan thinks it won’t happen for months
Nyla: And Smitty thinks it’ll happen at your wedding
Nyla: They’re both idiots

---

Nolan: Howdy, just wondering if you’re heard from Tim or Lucy. I know you’re busy!

---

Nyla: I mean, any fool can see those two have been soft on each other for months

---

(310) 555-6789: Stop kicking me off the text chain, I want to know what’s happening

---

Nyla: Okay, I might care a little bit
Nyla: Mostly about winning $100

---

To: jackson rookie, nolan rookie, nyla harper, Sgt. Grey, (310) 555-6789

Angela: STOP SIDE TEXTING ME TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING
Angela: WHEN I KNOW SOMETHING I’LL TELL YOU

---

Tim sighed as he snuck another glance in Lucy’s direction. After leaving the bridal shop, they had somehow made it through an awkward lunch where their stilted conversation had danced around safe topics like Kojo, the weather, more Kojo, and then, inexplicably, even more weather. Seriously, they had talked about whether it was really going to rain tomorrow for a solid five minutes.

Lucy was acting so unlike her usual self that Tim half-wondered whether this was another one of her pranks: spend the whole day driving him slowly insane with her bare shoulders and her loose hair and her laugh and their flirting (it was definitely flirting, no matter what excuses he had tried to make earlier in the day), then shut down and act like they were nothing more than friendly co-workers.

But no, Tim had spent a year learning Lucy’s moods -- discovering all the ways that her body gave away what she was feeling. He knew she rubbed the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder when she was feeling stressed, that she pursed her lips to the left when she was trying to hold something back, and that she twisted her rings around and around when she was worried. And she was currently alternating between all three.

“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Lucy marveled quietly, pulling Tim out of his thoughts as they made their way up the steps of St. Brendan’s Church.

“Yeah, it’s really pretty,” he nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he gazed up at the stained glass windows above them. “Last time I was here, Angela’s nephew tried to steal extra wafers during his first Communion.”

Lucy cracked her first real smile in the last half hour, and Tim felt the tension in his stomach unfurl just a little bit. He smiled back at her, and for a second, things felt vaguely normal again.

“Listen,” he started. “About earlier --”

But Lucy just exhaled and looked away from him. “Tim, it’s really --”

“Hey!” came a voice from behind them on the steps. A woman with short black and pink hair was walking towards them, a camera in one hand and a large bag of equipment slung over her colorfully tattooed shoulder. “Tim and Lucy, right?”

Tim kept his eyes trained on Lucy for another few seconds before turning away and plastering a polite smile on his face. “You must be Vanessa.”

The young woman stepped forward to shake Lucy’s and Tim’s hands enthusiastically. “Thank you so much for doing this,” she gushed. “The photos turn out so much better when I can scout the location and plan my shot list ahead of time. But I guess Angela and Wesley are crazy busy. Oh my god, you guys are such good friends to do this for them!”

“We’re happy to help!” Lucy said, somehow topping Vanessa’s effusive energy. Tim recognized Lucy’s particular brand of false brightness for what it was: relief that she had been spared whatever they had been on the verge of finally talking about.

He sighed as he followed the two women through the church’s tall wooden doors. Okay, so this was going to require a little more finesse than he thought.

---

A few minutes later, Tim and Lucy were standing at the back of the church, waiting for Vanessa to give the word that she was ready to practice filming them walking up the aisle.

“It’s weird playing the part of Mr. Lopez after pretending to be Wesley at the bakery,” Tim attempted to joke, keeping his voice purposefully light.

He managed to earn a small smile from Lucy, who had distractedly been shifting her weight from side to side, her arms wrapped around her midsection. “You’re a very versatile actor. It’s a wonder Hollywood hasn’t already snatched you up.”

He grimaced. “I’d rather get shot at than be an actor.”

Lucy chuckled. “I used to want to be a singer,” she said after a moment.

“I can see that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never heard me sing, what if I’m terrible?”

Tim shrugged. “You naturally connect with people and you’re good at almost everything you try,” he said matter-of-factly.

Lucy looked sideways at him, her expression pensive. “Almost everything? What am I not good at?”

“I’ll tell you when I find something,” he murmured, gazing intently at her. Lucy sucked in a surprised breath and looked like she was about to say something when Vanessa called out suddenly from the front of the church.

“I’m ready whenever you guys are!” she hollered, her camera perched up near her face. “Here comes the fake bride!”

Tim kept his eyes fixed on Lucy as he wordlessly offered her his crooked elbow. She hesitated for a split second before threading her arm through his, and Tim’s heart twisted in his chest with the realization that he’d been waiting to touch her again. And that maybe he wanted to touch her every damn day for the rest of his life. The thought momentarily took his breath away, but Tim was starting to realize that it had been there for awhile -- hiding in the back of his mind, forbidden while he was still training her. There was something about finally letting himself admit it that was strangely calming. Like his whole life suddenly snapped into focus.

“Hey Lucy,” he said suddenly as they slowly started to make their way up the aisle. “Do you want to play another game?”

She turned her head sharply towards him. “A game?”

He nodded. “Back at the bridal shop, you said you wanted me to tell you things. So how about we play a game where I tell you something, and then you tell me something. We’ll take turns.”

A small smile pulled at the corner of Lucy’s mouth. “Like Truth or...Truth?”

“I guess,” Tim chuckled.

She turned her head to look at him, equal parts wary and intrigued. “You, Tim Bradford, want to play Truth or Truth?”

“With you? Definitely.” He nodded decisively. “I’ll even go first.”

“Is this some kind of weird Tim Test --”

They had reached the front of the church, and Tim turned his body to face Lucy fully, taking her hands in his as he cut off her question.

“Truth: I’ve had more fun with you today than I have had in years.”

Lucy’s mouth fell open with a soft, breathy gasp. She stared down at their joined hands like she couldn’t quite absorb exactly what was happening.

“Yes, keep holding hands just like that, it’s perfect, very in character!” Vanessa interjected from somewhere way off to the side of them. Tim could hear the click of her camera in the background, but he kept his gaze fixed firmly on Lucy.

“It’s your turn,” he prompted, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

“I’m…” she started, looking like her words were having trouble catching up with whatever was racing through her mind. “I’m glad Angela asked me to do this with you today,” she settled on finally.

“Come on, you can do better than that, Chen,” he teased gently. “But I’ll go again. Truth: Back at the bridal shop you said you wanted to know that you matter to me. I hate that I made you doubt that for even one second. Because you do. You matter to me when we ride together. You matter to me when we grab beers after work. You matter to me when you ask for my advice and when you tell me exactly what you’re thinking, even though you know I probably disagree. Especially when you know I disagree. And I’m sorry if I haven’t made all of this crystal clear.”

Lucy was still gaping at him, but there was something new dawning in her expression as she took in his words. “My turn,” she said after a few moments, her eyes bright with determination. “Truth: I got weird earlier because I felt...vulnerable. I felt vulnerable saying those things and I got in my own head.”

Tim tilted his head. “Because you were worried I wouldn’t return the vulnerability?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know…” She took a deep breath, and when she spoke, her voice was soft. “Truth: Sometimes I’m afraid that everything I feel between us is just happening in my head.”

Tim could feel his heart racing, but he focused on the feel of her hands in his as his next truth fell from his lips. “Truth: The things you said to me during your last rookie day...I can’t stop thinking about them.”

Lucy barely let him finish before responding. “Truth: I have read the texts you sent me later that night an...embarrassing amount of times.”

They both fell silent, hands still intertwined as they perched on a precipice they both knew they wouldn’t be able to walk back from. Tim didn’t want to step back from the edge, but it scared him all the same.

“Truth: I think I’ve had feelings for you for a long time.” He took a deep, grounding breath. “And that scares me.”

Lucy tilted her head to the side. “Do you want to tell me why?”

Tim was still nervous, but the warmth and compassion he saw in her eyes made him feel brave. “Because I’m not sure I know how to do this,” he admitted. “I thought I had found the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. And then my whole life fell apart. And not quickly, in one terrible moment, but little by little, for months. I was angry, and closed off, and...a jerk, like you said earlier.”

Lucy looked mildly chagrined. “Maybe ‘jerk’ was too harsh.”

“Are you kidding me? It probably wasn’t harsh enough,” Tim scoffed. “One of the first things I noticed about you is that you weren’t afraid to call me out on my shit and challenge me. But you also believe the best in people. You believed the best in me even when I didn’t deserve it. That’s why I liked you. More than I should have when I was still training you, if I’m being honest.”

Lucy smiled shyly. “I liked you too. I mean, we have established the sleeves and the hotness already,” she blushed as she rolled her eyes. “But you were also honest and fair and kind. Watching the way you took care of people -- the way you took care of me…” She paused. “Honestly Tim, I’m scared too. I’m afraid that I’m already in too deep and that I’m gonna screw this up.”

“You think you’re going to screw this up?” His eyebrows shot up. “Come on Lucy, if anyone is screwing this up, it’s me. I’m old, I’m kind of curmudgeonly, I have trust issues. I’m damaged goods.” He tried to play it off like a joke, but the truth of his words left Tim feeling exposed.

Lucy let go of one of his hands and reached up slowly to cup his cheek. He closed his eyes and let himself lean into her touch. “We’re all damaged goods in our own ways, Tim. But you’re also the best man I know. And I’d rather screw it all up with you than play it safe with someone else.”

He brought his own hand up to cup her cheek. “Truth,” he whispered. “I really want to kiss you right now.”

The air around them crackled with anticipation as Lucy leaned in closer, her lips suspended just below his. “Truth: I have wanted to kiss you all damn day --”

Tim closed the gap between them with a low moan, pressing his lips to hers. Lucy sighed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as she pulled her body even closer to his. Tim threaded his fingers into her loose waves as he deepened the kiss, reveling in the way her tongue was starting to tangle with his. She let out a throaty little pant and Tim forced himself to pull away, breathing heavily as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“Lucy?”

She was nearly breathless, her eyes dazed as she pulled back ever so slightly. “So help me god Tim, if you say gotcha --”

He cut her off with another kiss, grinning into her mouth as he realized that this would have been a far more enjoyable way to get her to respect his no chit chat rule in the shop.

“What I was going to say,” he smirked, his voice low and laced with promise, “is that we should get out of here. Because I’m having very...impure thoughts about all the things I want to do to you right now.”

Lucy glanced around at the church and clutched at his arms as she doubled over with quiet laughter. “Ohhhh. Well then, we can’t have that in a place of worship,” she winked.

Tim took a quick look around, and was surprised to find that Vanessa was nowhere to be found. He considered calling out for her, then thought better of it. He’d done enough for Lopez today, right? Surely, he was going down in some kind of Man of Honor hall of fame at this point.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” He stole another quick kiss, then grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the side door of the church.

Lucy threaded her fingers in between his, hurrying to keep up. “I don’t think you’re supposed to say hell in church, Tim.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to do anything we just did in church, Chen.”

The sound of her laugh echoed around them as they burst through the doors and into the light of the late afternoon.

“Wait, Tim,” Lucy called out suddenly.

He turned to look back. Her hair was the slightest bit mussed and her cheeks were tinged pink. Her slightly swollen lips were stretched wide in a bright, open smile, and Tim was certain he had never seen anything so beautiful.

“Can we call it a relationship now?” she teased.

Tim rolled his eyes, laughing as he wrapped both of his arms around Lucy and leaned in close until his lips were pressed against her ear.

“We can call it whatever you want as long as you’re coming back to my place with me.”

Lucy snaked her hands up around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. “Deal,” she said, pressing her mouth against his with a grin.

---

Vanessa: Cuz! It happened.
Vanessa: *photo of Tim and Lucy kissing*

Angela: oh my god

Vanessa: *photo of Tim resting his forehead against Lucy’s*

Angela: you are an artist
Angela: these are more romantic than my goddamn wedding is going to be
Angela: i’m swooning
Angela: and i don’t swoon

Vanessa: I didn’t do a thing. Just made myself scarce and captured the moment.
Vanessa: Carmen was right, these two are adorable.

Angela: i owe you both big time

Vanessa: Just don’t seat us at the cousin table at the wedding.
Vanessa: Seat us with some of Wes’s hot rich friends.
Vanessa: :money-mouth emoji:

Angela: done
Angela: thank u

Angela grinned as she pressed her thumb down on the photos to save them, then navigated to the Mid-Wilshire chat group that had been blowing up her phone all day long. She popped the photos of Tim and Lucy into the message field, but hesitated, her thumb hovering over the send button. She pulled her phone up closer to her face and examined the pictures more closely. A streak of light was passing through one of the church’s stained glass windows, bathing the two of them in a hazy glow. They were completely wrapped up in each other -- totally oblivious to anything else but the person in front of them. The more she stared at the photo, the more Angela felt like an intruder.

She finally clicked the ‘x’ on the photos with a contented sigh. The only two people who deserved to see these pictures were Tim and Lucy, and she would make sure they got them when the time was right. Everyone else could manage without photo evidence.

To: jackson rookie, nolan rookie, nyla harper, Sgt. Grey, (310) 555-6789

Angela: mission accomplished
Angela: :kissy face emoji:
Angela: smitty, you owe harper $100

---

Two Weeks Later

To: Angela Lopez, John Nolan, Jackson West, Nyla Harper, Lucy

Tim: So I rode with Smitty today.

Angela: k...

Lucy: Did you?! Tell us more, Tim!

Tim: Mmm hmm. It was very interesting.

Jackson: That guy is always saying the craziest stuff.

Lucy: Is he now, Jackson?

Nolan: Haha

Tim: What’s so funny, Nolan?

Nolan: Ummm...nothing?

Angela: :facepalm emoji:

Tim: Anyway, Smitty told me this wild story.

Lucy: I, for one, am very interested to hear this story!

Angela: u gonna put us out of our misery and tell us what smitty said bradford?

Nyla: Yeah stop playing with your food, guys.

Tim: Well, he said Lopez concocted a whole plot to play matchmaker for me and Chen, and that you all helped her.

Jackson: What?! That Smitty. :clown emoji:

Nolan: Wow, that IS a wild story. Haha.

Lucy: Don’t forget about the betting part, Tim.

Tim: Oh yeah, he said Harper won $100 by successfully predicting when Chen and I would get together.
Tim: You all have anything to say about this CRAZY story?

Angela: you’re welcome
Angela: that is what i have to say

Lucy: :heart emoji:
Lucy: Thanks Angela.

Tim: If you quote me on this I will deny it, but thank you for meddling in my business Lopez.
Tim: Don’t ever do it again.

Jackson: :heart eyes emoji: I’m so happy for you guys!

Nolan: Me too! Drinks on me tonight to celebrate.

Lucy: Sgt. Grey already offered to buy us drinks tonight. His reaction when we filed the paperwork was...a lot :cat face with tears of joy emoji:

Nyla: I have two things to say
Nyla: 1 - I wanted nothing to do with this nonsense, but I’m genuinely happy for you both.
Nyla: 2 - I’m not giving you a cut of my winnings, if that’s what you were going to ask.

Tim: Second round is on Harper then.
Tim: See you idiots tonight.

Lucy: Tim!

Tim: What? They are idiots.

Angela: takes one to know one