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Lucy’s eyes dart across her car, observing the LAPD parking lot through every single one of her mirrors before she jumps out of her car.
“Hey,” she says giddily as she bounces towards a familiar truck, Tim’s truck.
“Hey. Good morning,” he smiles as Lucy spins around him and leans on his truck. He holds back from wincing as she presses her body against the gray finish, but he lets her nervously tap her fingernails against the metal. They engage in small talk for a few minutes, drabbling on about their late nights on shift yesterday.
“Any plans for tonight?” Tim asks as they finally head inside of the station. He subtly reaches his fingers out and grazes Lucy’s thigh as her shoulder brushes up against his.
“Nope,” Lucy said, puckering her lips on the last sound.
“Well, now you do,” Tim sighs as he reaches for the door handle, pulling it open and stepping aside so that Lucy could enter. Her cheeks turn rosy with the slightest hue as she passes by him. Her “thank you” is quiet, because she worries she’ll choke if she uses her vocal cords.
____________
Angela drags her feet against the pavement as she heads inside the station. Jack was running a fever and insisted on curling up next to her, meaning she slept terribly. Something catches her tired eye as she grabs her purse out her backseat: Lucy giggling as she leans against Tim’s car. And she almost ignores it and heads inside, but she sees Tim reach out his hand and run it down her leg, albeit suddenly.
“Lopez, are you okay?” a voice calls out, snapping her out of her trance.
“Oh, yeah yeah,” she shakes her head as her partner, Nyla, grabs the door from her. “Are you seeing this?” Angela motions to a very smitten Tim and Lucy, who are slowly heading straight towards them.
“About damn time,” Nyla scoffs. Angela follows her partner into the station, and they plant themselves in their adjacent desk.
“So when do you think they’re actually going to tell us?” Angela asks as she taps a pen against her desk with her free hand, her chin resting in her other.
“They’ll slip up eventually. I guess this explains the 2-sizes too big jacket Chen was wearing the other day.”
Angela laughs dryly as she thinks back to the conversation she’d had with Tim a few months ago; a conversation where Tim had defensively denied his feelings for Lucy. And if she was being honest, she was a little hurt that as his best friend, he didn’t think to tell her about his new relationship.
“Do you wanna have a little fun?” Angela blurts out with a smirk.
“Oh, hell yeah.”
___________
Tim sighs as he returns his uniform and swings the locker room door open, about to meet Lucy and head back to her apartment when he’s stopped by a tap on his shoulder.
“Hey, Bradford,” Angela calls out, and Tim whips around to find his best friend staring at him with her arms crossed.
“Lopez, what’s up?” he scoffs, a hint of urgency lining his tone, as if he wants this conversation to end before it’s even started.
“Harper and I are going out for drinks. Care to join?” she asks, slinging her purse across her shoulder.
“Sorry, I have plans,” Tim answered, and Angela raised his eyebrows.
“Oh yeah? Like what?” Angela taps her foot against the tile as Tim struggles to come up with an answer.
“I- there’s a game on tonight,” he sputters.
“Okay? And the game will probably be on at the bar. Come on,” she pleads. Tim’s eyes dart across the station, and they eventually land on Lucy’s cubicle. She’s twisting her hair out of a bun, her brown locks cascading down her back as she runs her fingers through her free hair.
“Chen can come too,” Angela suggests slyly. Tim nods and walks over to Lucy. He says something to her, and while she looks a little bit disappointed, she nods back.
Lucy heads for the locker room while Tim joins his best friend back in the bullpen. “We’ll go, send us the address.”
___________
“Why did we say yes to this?” Tim whines as they pull into the parking lot of a dingy bar close to the station.
“Because Angela and Nyla are our friends, and we can’t spend all of our time with just each other,” Lucy explains as they get out of the car and head inside.
“You are enough for me,” Tim sighs, and Lucy can practically feel her heart melt inside of her chest. Part of her wants to concede and cancel, because a night alone with Tim wasn’t exactly something she had to settle for. But they already committed to the plans, and canceling would be… suspicious. So they both swallow the lumps in their throats and swing open the door to the bar.
“Nice of you to join us,” Angela says as the couple takes the seats next to her. Both her and Nyla already have drinks in their hands, and they certainly didn’t wait to start.
“Where’s Wesley? And James?” Tim asks, and the detectives look at each other with raised eyebrows before answering.
“Watching the kids, we deserve a break!” Angela hollers, and Tim can tell that the alcohol has already begun to set in. Lucy orders them both beers and turns back to the conversation. The detectives are going on about a case they cracked today, and Tim chimes in here and there. Lucy is unusually quiet, and as she listens to the conversation, she reaches under the table and slides her fingers against Tim’s hip, scratching gently. She can feel him slightly twitch, and she can tell that he’s enjoying the tease almost as much as she is. She stops when she hears him repeatedly clear his throat, though, because he might just combust if she reaches down any farther.
“You okay over there, Bradford?” Nyla asks with a smirk.
“Of course I am, why?” he scoffs, but beads of sweat begin to appear on his forehead.
“No reason.” Nyla turns her head to the side as she stifles a laugh, and Tim shoots Lucy a look that says ‘you’re going to regret that later.’ She waves him off with her eyes, and he shakes his head as he returns back to Angela.
“So Tim, I feel like we never talk anymore. Anything you care to share with me?” Angela asks, slurring her words as she points her index finger at her best friend.
“No, why are you on my case today?” He gruffs defensively, and he knows she’s onto him, even if it is just the alcohol.
“I’m not! I’m just trying to catch up with you.” She jokingly swats at Tim and hits his chest, cursing him to slightly recoil. He furrows his brow as she giggles, but he brushes it off, because Angela Lopez can’t hold her liquor very well.
“I have to go to the bathroom, Lucy do you wanna come with?” Nyla blurts out. Lucy thinks for a moment, but ultimately goes with her friend, because a crappy bar is undoubtedly a dangerous place for a moment. Angela watches intently as Nyla and Lucy get up and head to the bar, her gaze unwavering until they disappear behind a wall.
“So, Timothy…” Angela begins as she spins her chair back around. Tim rolls his eyes at the use of his full name, but he doesn’t interrupt her. “You look good tonight.”
“I- thanks?” He looks down at his henley and washed out jeans, which he wears practically every day. Before he can look back up, he sees Angela reach over and place her index finger on his stomach. He watches in astonishment as she trails up to his chest until she reaches the neckline of his shirt and pauses.
“W- what are you doing?” he stumbles weakly, in shock as she fiddles with the fabric touching his chest.
“You’re telling me that you’ve never thought about this? About us?” she smiles devilishly as she inches closer to him, their faces only mere inches apart now. “All of these years together…” she continues, but Tim stops her.
“Angela, look… I-” he begins, but he stops, because he doesn’t know what to say next. He knows that with all of the Elijah drama, Angela and Wesley have had a lot on their plate, but never in a million years would he imagine her doing... whatever she was doing.
She leans into him and places her lips up against his ear. “We can leave right now, no one has to know.” And for a moment, Tim feels like he’s dreaming, hallucinating. He places his hands onto her shoulders and pushes her away, albeit gently.
“Angela, what is going on?” he asks firmly, but an unfazed look is painted across her face.
“You don’t feel it, the spark?” she asks, and a pit forms in his stomach because she’s giving no indicators that she’s joking. He would be lying if he said that Angela had never crossed his mind over the past years, but he hadn’t seen her in that context in years, more than he could count.
“Ang, you’re married. And I’m-” he stumbles, because to her, he’s newly single .
“You’re what? Come on, Tim, stop denying it. You want me.” She places her cold hand on his cheek, leaving it there while he stares at her blankly. He wonders if this will all stop with a simple pinch at the arm, but he begrudgingly acknowledges that her trailong hand against his back is real.
She begins to lean into him, and Tim’s heart rate increases exponentially as she slowly moves closer and closer. And he’s about to push her away once again, but he hears a voice call out from behind her.
“What the hell?” Lucy stomps up in between them and Angela pulls away, smirking as she leans into the back of her chair.
“What’s going on?” Angela asks, and Lucy’s face turns red as she balls her hands up into fists.
“What’s going on is that you’re all over my boyfriend!” Lucy gasps as she finishes her sentence, and her hands fly up to her mouth. Nyla immediately bursts into laughter, and Angela claps in triumph.
“W- what is happening?” Tim’s hands fly up in the air as Lucy’s eyes dart across the bar, wondering if a prank is being played on them.
“We know you're dating. We just wanted to mess with you, as payback for keeping your little secret,” Angela explains, and Lucy doesn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or yell. Unfortunately, Tim knows exactly which one of those things he wants to do.
“Did you really think this would be funny?! This is my personal business, and none of you have any right meddling in it!” he says through gritted teeth, loud enough to turn some heads.
“Relax Bradford, it was just a joke,” Nyla says, but Tim looks far from amused.
“I’m not even sorry about it,” Angela scoffs, brushing off her shoulder. “It’s what you get for thinking that you can hide a relationship from your best friend, who conveniently happens to be a detective.”
And there isn’t really any point in trying to hide it anymore, because Angela’s scheme made the budding love quite apparent.
“You idiots are far from subtle,” Nyla adds on. Tim is about to bite back, but Lucy places her hand on his shoulder and whispers something in his ear incoherently. The detectives watch as his muscles relax with her touch; his breaths are deep and he calms down almost instantly.
“Look, we didn’t tell anyone about… us, because it was complicated. The chain of command, our history, and friendship, it was all a lot to work through. We thought it was best to figure everything out before we told everyone,” Lucy explains calmly.
“So this is serious?” Angela asks, and Lucy nods. “I’m so happy for you both!” She practically squeals and jumps up to hug her friends, but Tim holds his hand out to stop her.
“No, you made this weird,” he gruffs, and she visibly rolls her eyes at him as he steps away.
“You’re so dramatic,” she grumbles, and Lucy stifles a laugh.
“Well, now that your secret is out in the open, I have to ask,” Angela pauses and bites her lip, “have you guys done it?
“Angela!”