Work Text:
Street had experienced a gun pointed at his face more times than he could count, so he wasn’t exactly caught off guard when he was staring down the barrel of one during a sting operation for the exchange of counterfeit bills. Still, he was a little frightened- adrenaline pumping through his veins at the risky scene until a soothing moment of realization washed over him- Chris was there. Chris had his back. Chris would protect him.
That was the beauty of her- she was a safe space for him where he never felt alone or frightened no matter the immediate danger. So, when he saw her climbing down from the roof of a nearby building where she had been watching him through the scope of a sniper rifle, he babbled to distract the gun toting bad guys until she would come and rescue him, which she did. She always did.
He lingered in the locker room after the high stakes shift, if only to spend a few more minutes with Chris. Where she called the sting operation “dicey”, he called it “fun”, because there hadn’t been any real danger to him knowing Chris was close enough to save him.
Relief- the feeling only she could conjure in him, had made way to something different. Something deeper. Something that DID scare him.
She said, “I love your faith.”
“I love you,” were the words he bit back from replying. It wasn’t the first time he was driven to say it. He knew it. He’d known it long enough that he was certain her name was etched onto his heart for everyone to see, but she was clueless.
To avoid spilling his secret, the one that was tough to keep quiet, he deflected. Moved the conversation to remind himself (more than her) why he shouldn’t say it. Why his love for her was insignificant.
“How’s Ty and Kira doing?” He asked instead.
The answer broke his heart as Chris seemed conflicted and pained about the throuple. He wanted to tell her that he loves her. He wanted to promise her that he would treat her better than they ever could.
But, it wasn’t his place, so when she asked him if he was interested in being in a serious relationship, he wanted to say that he wanted the relationship to be with her. Like that could fix their current situation. Instead, he just left with the words “I love you” caught in his throat.
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Distance between Chris and Street had been slowly created due to Street’s new relationship with Molly. She just HAD to make space to protect her heart.
But, sitting in the armory after a long shift, all she craved was his presence. Whether he sensed that or not, he walked in to check in on her. The conversation moved quickly from work to their happiness.
Street was happy.
Chris’ heart felt equally full to hear that admission but also a little broken that SHE isn’t the one to make him happy.
There was only ONE thing she wanted to say to him, but she held back and instead bade him goodnight. She watched him leave the armory, and she wanted to stop him.
She wanted to tell him the words she’d been holding in.
When he was far enough away, it slipped out in a whisper.
“I love you,” she confessed in a low voice, hoping it would make her feel better…it didn’t. The realization and hearing herself say it for the first time, only made her feel WORSE.
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Tan said: “Tell the people we care about how important they are.”
Idling at a red light, the words wouldn’t stop echoing in Street’s ears. Instead of turning right, he rode his motorcycle straight. He didn’t even have to think. He knew exactly where he was going. He knew where he needed to be.
A few knocks on the door, and her tear-stained face greeted him.
There was so much he was trying to say, but the one thing he was winding up to say was the one thing he hadn’t had a chance to actually utter before Chris asked him to leave.
“Please go,” she said between sniffles.
With one last look, he resisted the urge to admit this all-consuming truth he was both nervous and eager to share.
Even with the shut door, and having heard her footsteps move further and further away from the entrance, he couldn’t move. He wouldn’t leave. He came to her apartment to tell her the truth, and he didn’t want to move without the words coming out of his mouth, even if it was only quiet enough for his own ears.
“I love you,” he murmured, then let out a deep breath and put a reverent hand on her apartment door.
Maybe now wasn’t the right time to say it loud enough for her to hear it, but he couldn’t shy away from his feelings for her anymore.
They were too big. Too intense. Too strong. Too real.
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Street had been searching everywhere in SWAT HQ for Chris. She was about to leave for Germany. He was about to undergo liver donation surgery.
He had to see her one last time. He was DESPERATE to tell her how he felt just in case it was the last time they would see each other. One last check in the locker room, and he came upon her.
Before he could speak, she started talking while his confidence began to wane. When she walked past him, his breathing hitched. He turned around so that he could stop her and tell her what he’d been holding inside. But before Street could speak, Chris put her warm hands on his face, and without being able to think or move or speak, her lips found his.
She was kissing him.
When his brain caught up to the absolute shock, he kissed her back. It felt familiar but also completely different. A new sensation, because now it meant more.
He held her face and felt her forehead against his. It felt like the perfect moment to say it, but she pulled back.
“Call me after the surgery.”
“The second I wake up,” he agreed.
Chris waited a beat, holding his gaze. She wanted to say, “I love you.” She had every intention of telling him before she got on her plane, but one last look in his eyes, and she didn’t think it was fair to tell him like this when she was about to leave him behind for months. So, she held back the words and walked away.
Street tried to steady his breathing. He considered running after her.
“I love you,” he said in his mind. The words were now too heavy to say out loud unless he were saying them to her.
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Street’s heart was in his throat for most of the day after hearing that Chris was missing. The team located her, and he was far too desperate to get to her. Searching the ghost town, all he wanted was to see her…and say what he wanted to say. What he’d been holding close to his heart. After everything that happened today. After worrying about her so much, he NEEDED to finally get it off his chest.
“Good to see you,” she called to him. That wasn’t at all what she wanted to say. As she hid behind a counter, muffling her ears against the explosion, all she could think about was Street. She pictured him in her mind’s eye. She envisioned he was right there in front of her, and if these were her last words, she mouthed “I love you” like she was actually speaking to him. Now that he was here, she couldn’t tell him the truth. Not like this.
He gave her a tight smile to hold back from saying “I love you”. From the look in her eyes, he could tell it was mutual. He KNEW she loved him now. It was so clear on her face. But, it wasn’t the right time. Instead, he let her lean on him as they hobbled towards the rest of the team.
As much as she wanted to hug him and maybe kiss him, she only allowed herself the closeness of walking beside him.
Deacon took over holding onto Chris, which Street hated. He didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t want her to be out of his sight.
Watching Chris wobble towards the helicopter, he repeated it over and over again in his head like a silent prayer: “I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Maybe she could read his mind, or maybe she was just thinking the same thing and wished she could say it back, but she looked over her shoulder to give him one last glance.
A glance that made his heart stop beating. A glance that told him for certain that her thoughts matched his; she was saying it back in her brain: “I love you.”
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Street was feeling a whirlwind of emotions, and there was nothing he could do to calm down. That’s when he heard a knock at the door. Completely shocked that Chris was standing in front of him, he barely breathed out her name before she emphatically said, “Cancel your date”.
It was a bit of a blur. She started babbling, and he was trying to keep track of what she was saying.
“Because umm…” she said hesitantly and looked down at the floor, emotionally readying herself to FINALLY tell him what she held back so many times. “Because I love you,” she added.
“I canceled my date an hour ago,” was the only thing he could share given the utter shock. Knowing how she felt and hearing her say it was vastly different. His legs carried him before his brain could catch up, and they were now standing so close. She put her hands on his face, and he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak. Perhaps it was only a matter of seconds, but it seemed like EONS until Chris kissed him.
When she pulled her lips away from his and tucked her head in the crook of his neck while their collective breathing slowed, he held Chris close and said it for her to hear.
He said, “I love you.”
With a whimper, she was back to kissing him, and with every touch, every second that passed, it felt like they were saying it over and over and over again.
I love you. I love you. I love you.