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Officer Lucy Chen and Sergeant Tim Bradford had a daily routine: wake up, make breakfast, take a shower, go to work, drive home together, make dinner, watch trashy TV, take another shower, and head to bed. Rarely was there daily routine interrupted, and they made sure to keep evenings free for each other.
“Don’t you get sick of each other?” Tamara had asked her roommate one night when they were alone, which had become a rare occurrence. And the answer was simple; she couldn’t get enough of Tim. When they were apart, even if it was a matter of hours, her heart physically ached. She hated being away from him, and the minutes leading up to their reunion never failed to give her butterflies.
So, regardless of how mundane their routine may seem to others, it works perfectly for them, and they wouldn’t have it anyday. Until, that is, Angela Lopez works her magic.
“Hey, Bradford and Chen, turn to channel 5,” their shop radio rings out one morning. Metro didn’t have any cases lined up for the day, so Grey and Pine allowed the two to ride together. \
Lucy reaches for the radio, but her hand lands on top of Tim’s instead. She smiles at him, and her cheeks turning the slightest hue of pink before she turns her eyes back on the road.
“What’s up, Lopez?” Tim asks into the walkie.
“What are your plans tonight?” Angela asks, and Tim is able to sense the mischievous smile pained across her face from afar.
“Excuse me?” Tim raises his eyebrows as Lucy giggles, leaning her head forward as she stifles a laugh.
“Eyes on the road,” he instructs jokingly, pointing to the clear path in front of her.
“Hey, I know how to drive!” Lucy counters, swatting at him.
“Mhm,” Tim mumbles, shaking his head. Lucy is about to make fun of his own driving mishaps, but they’re brought back to the moment by Angela over the radio.
“Nyla and I are planning a night out, you and Lucy care to join?” she inquires nonchalantly, as if she’s not talking on an open channel.
“One sec,” Tim tells his best friend, setting the radio down to discuss this with Lucy. He knew that she’d say yes, because Lucy is what he would call the epitome of a social butterfly. But a pit of uncomfort swirled around in his stomach any time he had to even think about leaving the warmth of Lucy’s apartment for an eventful night out.
“We haven’t been out in a while, maybe we should go,” Lucy suggests, and judging by the subtle hint of excitement lining her tone, Tim has already accepted defeat.
“We can leave early if you want,” she adds on, and this is why he loves her. He doesn’t need to say what he’s thinking, because she already knows. She never hesitates to ensure that he’s comfortable, and words can’t describe how that feels.
As a “thank you,” he runs his hand down her thigh briefly before picking the radio back up.
“We’ll come for a bit. Where too?”
“That new club on Rodeo Drive.”
Tim furrows his brow, unsure of whether he heard her correctly. But a quick glance at Lucy, whose face was filled with the same confusion, lets him know that Angela absolutely did invite them to a club.
“Don’t you think we’re a little old to be clubbing? We’re old enough to actually go through a midlife crisis!”
“Hey, we’re not that old! I can definitely pass as thirty.”
Tim rolls his eyes as Lucy gently takes the radio from his hand. But before she can confirm their attendance, another party joins the channel.
“Officer, Detective, and Sergeant. Do you, with over a decade of experience on the job, think that this is the appropriate way to use a private channel?” Sergeant Grey’s voice yells out from the speaker.
“Sorry Sergeant, we’re done,” Lucy says cheerily, but the least bit apologetic.
“You better be. And oh, Lopez, if you can pass for thirty, I’m retired,” he adds before switching back to the general channel, leaving everyone’s mouths agape.
“Did he just…” Lucy trailed off in disbelief. She would be lying if she said she didn’t get a kick out of Grey’s unhinged commentary.
“He’s right, we’re way too old to be slumming it up with 20-somethings,” Tim huffs, crossing his arms as he sinks deeper into the passenger seat.
“Oh, come on, we need a night out! You know I love the quiet between the two of us, but it would be nice to have a couple of drinks and just… let everything else go, you know?”
If it was anyone else, Tim would argue and bail on the night, but he can tell that Lucy is itching to dress up and get out, so he concedes.
“Alright,” he sighs, warranting a squeal from Lucy.
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Of course,” Tim says, and even though his broody demeanor is misleading, Lucy knows that he would, and does, do anything for her.
________
In true motherhood fashion, it takes longer than expected for Angela and Nyla to put the kids down for the night, meaning Lucy and Tim get their first thirty minutes out to themselves. They take seats at the bar, slowly making their way through a couple of drinks.
“Do you think they were just pranking us?” Tim asks as he glances around the vibrant club. It is ridiculous, but he was honestly intimidated by the energy levels of the kids around them. Sure, he and Isabel had their fair share of bar-hopping during their rookie days, but he wasn’t really one to go clubbing much, and it was all a lot.
“Oh, they’re just running late. That’s gonna be us soon, you know,” she sings sweetly, rocking her body over to bump Tim’s as she sips on her tequila.
“Soon? I think we’re still a little while away from that,” he sighs, wrapping his arm around her body as she leaned further into him.
“Come on, I know you think about it at night. I would bet that you have a list of baby names up in…” she elongates the last syllable while lifting her finger up and pressing it against his forehead, “there!”
“I do not!” he defends, but his voice is high-pitched, ruining any chance he had at getting away from this conversation through a lie.
“Alright, what are they, Bradford?”
Usually, he would fight her a little more before giving in, but the alcohol was beginning to seep into that part of his brain that fried decision making capabilities. “Ivie Angelina.”
Lucy sits up straight and looks at her boyfriend in complete awe, like a piece of artwork at an exclusive gallery. She knew that Tim was more of a softie than he let on, but even after all of these years, he never failed to surprise her with his depth. “Aw! That’s- where did- what?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I must have heard it somewhere and my subconscious latched on, but it’s always been in the back of my mind,” he explains aloofly, shrugging his shoulders.
“It’s really pretty, I actually love it. Angelina is cute, is it after something? Like… Angela?” Lucy asks, tapping her finger against his chin to stimulate his thinking.
“Oh, ew, no! Naming my child after Angela Lopez would give her too much of a hold over me. Her ego is big enough as it is,” he scoffs, and he can feel Lucy shaking from her silent giggle as she leans back into his side.
“Don’t talk too highly of your best friend,” she says jokingly, and as if on cue, the detectives finally join the party.
“So nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Tim announces jokingly, throwing his hands up in the air to welcome his friends.
“We are fashionably late,” Angela says with a bow, and her best friend rolls his eyes.
“You try being a mother, then get back to us, Bradford,” Nyla snaps with her usual spunky attitude, “looks like you two got cozy without us anyway.”
“Okay, okay, sorry,” he mutters, shaking his head. The women slid into the only 2 remaining barstools, which were conveniently next to Tim and Lucy, and ordered drinks for themselves.
If Tim was being honest, the club wasn’t as bad as he had thought. He had been so focused on Lucy that the flashing disco lights hadn’t even phased him until now, and her voice alone had drowned out all of the EDM rave music blaring from the speakers.
“It’s a nice place, right?” Angela asks as the bartender slides her a whisky sour, as if she is reading Tim’s mind.
“Aside from the fact that I’m double the age of everyone here, it could be worse,” he shoots back.
“You find a way to complain about everything, don’t you?”
Before Tim can defend himself, Lucy interjects herself into the conversation. “Yes he does! Try waking up next to this one after a long night. ‘I’m so tired,’ and “my feet hurt,” Lucy mocks, and she makes sure to deepen her voice for the full effect.
“Alright, if this is going to be a ‘make fun of Tim,’ session, then I’ll see you later.” Tim scoots his chair out and pretends to leave, anticipating Lucy’s tug, which comes about 2 seconds later.
“Come on, baby, we were just playing,” she reassures, smoothing the fabric along his arm with her hand.
“I think that you need to loosen up,” Angela announces, her whisky -mixed with a high dose of exhaustion- beginning to hit her a little earlier than expected. “Why don’t you learn from the twenty-somethings out on the dance floor?”
Tim audibly groans at the thought, his stomach churning at the thought of being surrounded by sweaty college kids who are 1 drink away from collapsing on the floor. But before he can justify his objection, his girlfriend is spinning him out of his seat and dragging him to the edge of the dance floor.
He’s not exactly sure when the 4 tequila shots hit her, but he realizes now that she’s pretty gone. He doesn’t mind, because he’s sober enough to keep her safe and drive her home, but tipsy enough to ignore everyone around them. Sometimes he forgot that Lucy was the literal embodiment of the spotlight, everything else around her always seemed to fade away into nothingness. She would always be the only thing that mattered.
They fall into an easy rhythm, Tim rocking back and forth as Lucy jumps circles around him. He watches her giggle as her fair flies all over the place; seeing her happy is more than enough for him. He catches her as she trips over her heels, her maxi dress getting caught underneath the plastic.
“Ohh nooo, sorry babyyyy,” she slurs, tucking her hair behind her ears as Tim helps her stand up straight.
“You’re cute when you’re drunk,” he says into her ear, raising his voice over the music, albeit softly.
“I’m always cute,” she asserts, tapping her index finger against his nose before wrapping her arms around his torso, using him to stand up straight.
Sure, she’d been in a passionate relationship before, but being with Tim was different. There was always this hunger that swelled at the bottom of her stomach, never satisfied. The urge to be physical, to just touch him never subsided, leaving her constantly ravenous for more. And of course, Tim Bradford never disappointed.
She’d learned to control the animalistic nature he unintentionally instilled in her in public, but right now, she wanted nothing more than to undress him in the back of his jeep.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” she asks slyly. It’s quiet, too quiet for Tim to hear, but loud enough for him to correctly infer what she’s asking.
“As much as you know I do, Ang and Harper just got here. We should at least give it a few minutes,” he suggested, and she unfortunately agrees. Despite all of the complaining he was doing about two minutes ago, he sure did know how to be considerate.
Things settle down between the couple, and silence fills the air around them. Lucy being Lucy, of course, doesn’t hesitate to fill the silence.
“Hey, where did that baby name actually come from?” she asks, hoping that his second drink would get it out of him.
“We’re still on that? Seriously, baby?” he gruffs, clearly deflecting, which let’s Lucy onto the fact that there’s definitely a story behind it.
“I know that it’s not just a random name. Ivie, maybe, sure. But you always talk about how middle names are important to you, because yours is special. So, spit it out!”
“Lucy, I must have just heard it from somewhere. I promise.”
Tim Bradford is an ordinary liar, he’s not super convincing, but he can also get by. But he often forgets that despite coming in 17th place, Lucy had extensive knowledge in the detectives department, meaning she knew exactly how heart rates sped up and pupils dilated thought a lie, something that people just couldn’t control.
“You’re lying! Give it up, what’s the big deal?” she plays, but she can immediately sense “the deal,” as Tim begins to concede.
“Oh,” she nods, “I get it. You're being all weird about it because you and Angela fucked.”
“Wait, what? How did you-”
“I knew it! I actually didn’t know, it was just a guess, but you just confirmed it.”
“Damn, you’re good,” Tim sighs.
“I know. But back to Angela… I can’t believe you slept with her!” Lucy doesn’t sound surprise, just curious, which is a big relief to Tim. He definitely didn’t expect to be talking about this tonight, but he’s glad he’s tipsy for it.
“It was during the Academy, before I met Isabel. It was just a means to blow off steam, it really meant nothing,” he explained. “It didn’t last long, anyway. We just didn’t work.”
“Was she good?” Lucy asks, and Tim is taken aback.
“Excuse me?!”
“I asked if Angela was good in bed!”
“I am not answering that.”
“Oh my god, what is the big deal! I feel like she’d be good in bed…” she mutters the last part to herself, getting lost in her own thoughts and newfound excitement.
“She was fine, we just weren’t compatible characteristically. It was over a decade ago, and I barely even remember it happened.”
“It’s okay, I’ve been there. We’ve all had those academy relationships that never lasted… am i right?” she asks nonchalantly, as if she hasn’t just said the most crypted statement.
“Um, what do you mean we all?” Tim raises his eyebrows, terrified of what’s about to pour out of her mouth.
“Wait… you didn’t know? Nolan and I dated until the beginning of our rookie year!”
And Tim’s entire world literally explodes. Lucy… and Nolan… Two names he never thought he’d hear in this context, not in a million years.
“WHAT?” he screams, well over the music, catching the attention of a few busy partiers.
“Why is it such a big deal? It’s the same as you and Angela sleeping together…” Lucy defends.
“That is absolutely not the same! How did that even… why did… what?”
Lucy stifles a laugh; it’s funny how something so insignificant to her now could render her boyfriend speechless.
“It’s the same argument: it was a long time ago and it meant nothing!”
“I think I’m traumatized now.” Tim wishes that a mental scrub brush existed, because he could definitely live without this information.
“Oh, i think you’ll be okay,” Lucy says, running her hand down the fabric on Tim’s chest.
“Nope.”
“Oh-kay,” she sighs, shaking her head. “I always knew that you and Lopez slept together. Like… there is no way that two people as hot as you could just casually be friends and never hook up,” Lucy announces.
“Can we just move on from this topic of conversation!” Tim pleads.
“Don’t you wanna know how Nolan was?” Lucy asks, hoping to get at least one more amusing comment out of the interaction. And of course Tim asks the question she wants, because he knows that it’s the only way to shut her up. “Nolan was terrible next to you,” she stands up on her tip-toes and leans forward, pressing her lips against his ear. “You put everyone to shame.”
“Good to hear, I guess?” he says shakily, turned on more than he’d like to admit by her hushed voice.
“Think it’s time to get outta here?”
“Oh god, yes.”