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Chapter Text

They leaned back against the bar counter at halftime. Nolan and Tim were recounting the first two-quarters of the Rams game and Pete was growing increasingly bored.  

“I wasn’t paying attention to any of that,” Pete interjected, not that anyone had asked. “But your boss is like, way more chill than you described.”

Tim bit his tongue and narrowed his eyes at Nolan.

Nolan swallowed uneasily, grabbing Pete by the shoulders.

“He’s talking about Grey, of course,” he pushed Pete away from Tim mid-eyeroll. When Pete opened his mouth to correct him, Nolan covered his mouth with his hand and smiled casually over his shoulder. 

Tim had already lost interest, joining Nyla and James across the room. 

“What is wrong with you?” Nolan demanded. “I’ve never even talked about my boss with you.”

“I have a pathological need to disturb the peace.” Pete shrugged.

“You should see someone about that,” Nolan recommended sternly.

“I do,” he grinned, proudly. “That’s how I know it’s pathological.”

* * *

Lucy leaned into the heavy door at Wayward Sports Bar to maneuver it open. The bar was packed and buzzing with energy, the smell of fried food and beer in the air. Something must have just happened in the game because suddenly, half the room was jumping up and screaming.

“Whose House?” Tim yelled.

“Rams House!” The crowd responded. 

She glanced at the time on the TV and saw there were only three seconds left on the clock. 

Tim saw her from across the room and waved her over while hopping up and down with the people around him. He was in an old Rams jersey and grinning from ear to ear.

As she squeezed through the crowd, she waved to Nolan and Nyla, who were flanked by Bailey and James. Nolan was holding a bag of ice up to his eye. She pointed at her own eye and mouthed what happened? He waved it off, indicating there was no need to worry. 

The game officially ended the moment she reached Thorsen and Tim. The roar they emitted practically burst her eardrum. 

“Lucy!” Angela grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the corner where she was standing with Wesley.

“You’ve got to stay out of their wingspan," Wesley warned. "Earlier, Thorsen almost cracked Tim in the jaw but Nolan's face got in the way. Now, they're best friends.”

Ah. That explained the ice. 

And the high five Nolan slapped into Tim's hand. 

Tim sauntered over. 

“You missed a good game, Officer Chen.” Tim said as he grabbed Wesley’s hand and pulled him in for a bro hug. 

She and Angela shared a glance. What was with the formalities?

“Tamara got a flat tire at the Santa Monica Pier.” Lucy paused before sarcastically adding, “Sergeant Bradford.”  

She’d originally planned to get to the bar before the game started. Between the ninety minute round trip in traffic, and teaching Tamara how to change a tire for the first time, she’d had to catch most of it on the radio. Not that she usually listened to football on the radio. But if she wanted to get through the next few days of riding with Tim, she’d need to have some context on what happened in the game.

“Is she okay?” Tim asked.

“She’s fine, just jumped a curb.” Lucy shared a knowing look with him. 

“I don’t know how she got a license,” he shook his head. “We need to get her on the training track at the Academy and show her the ropes. Properly.” 

“She would love that.” 

The guys started chest bumping and patting each other on the back.

“Don’t move,” Tim pointed at her.  

Tim turned and sideswept Nolan, pulling him into a bear hug, catching him off guard. Nolan slapped Tim on the back, exchanging a few words with him.

“I’ve never seen Tim drunk before,” Lucy realized out loud. Sure, she’d seen him have a beer, maybe two, but never whatever amount that made him hug Nolan.

“Only once in a blue moon,” Angela said. “Given his past.”

Lucy nodded. She knew Tim wanted to be nothing like his dad, who’d been drunk throughout his childhood. Divorcing an addict probably didn’t encourage him to let loose either. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by an uproar from the guys. There were a lot of hand motions and she couldn’t tell what they were so excited about. 

Without warning, Tim ran at her and tackled her at the waist, lifting her into the air. 

“Ah!” She yelped and braced herself on his shoulders, staring down at him. If she hadn’t, she would have gone right over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, which she was sure he had intended.

He beamed up at her, a twinkle in his eye. 

“Don’t you dare,” she warned through a nervous laugh.

His arms loosened around her thighs, skimming up her backside as gravity pulled her down. She instinctively slipped her hands around his neck as she fell against his body. 

He tightened his arms around her ribcage to catch her and she inhaled sharply, the force almost causing their lips to meet.  She knew he had the same realization when his gaze dropped to her mouth.

She could feel the thump, thump of his heart against her chest.

If she leaned in an inch … 

His eyes darkened for a millisecond before he slid her the rest of the way down to earth. 

He cleared his throat. Hers went dry.

“Ok, we’ve got our QB!” Tim pointed at the ground to indicate where she should stand and hopped back a foot. 

“What is happening?” Lucy looked around and no one answered. She smoothed her hair and prayed everyone was too drunk to see the blush creeping across her cheeks. 

“Thorsen, center. Webb, tight end. Nolan, guard.” 

The guys scrambled to their positions.

“No, Nolan. The other side!” Tim bit out.

“Here?” Nolan pointed at the ground. 

“Yes, weren’t you watching the game?” Tim asked incredulously. 

“Apparently, not closely enough.” Nolan mumbled and double checked his footing to take the correct stance. 

Tim winked at Lucy, standing opposite of Thorsen. 

She tilted her head, not liking where this was going. 

“Am I about to get tackled?” She whispered to Nolan. 

Nolan smiled. 

“Nolan,” Lucy growled. 

“Shh, I’m concentrating.” Nolan put his finger up to his lips and turned to face Tim.

“Nyla, take my place,” Lucy pleaded. 

“Oh, hell no.” Nyla sipped her beer and didn’t move an inch. 

James tipped his bottle at her, “Good luck.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw a guy in a Stealer’s jersey walk into Webb and bump him with his shoulder. It was definitely intentional.

“Watch it.” Webb warned. 

“Make me,” The guy responded, getting in his face. 

“Nope! You do not get to pick a fight on my day off.”  Lucy held her hand up and moved between them. She glared at the stranger. “Especially in a cop bar. With a cop.” 

She motioned around and the guy scanned the room, assessing the challenge.  She narrowed her eyes and took a step toward him when he didn’t immediately back off. He huffed and walked back to his friends.

She wasn’t sure at what point Tim came to stand by her side.  Wait…Had Tim towering over him scared him off?

I can be intimidating. She assured herself. 

“Are we good?” Tim glanced between Lucy and Webb.

“All good.” Webb spent a couple more seconds glaring at the back of the man’s head before returning his attention to the group.

“Should we move the party somewhere else?” Thorsen suggested. 

“Yes, please.” Nolan agreed. 

“Actually, we’re going to head out. Our sitter is probably ready to get home,” Nyla said. 

“Ours too,” Angela pinched Wesley’s butt and winked at Lucy. She knew Wesley’s mom had Jackson all day. 

“Darts at Santos?” Webb suggested. 

“Pete and I will crush you.” Nolan promised him, following Webb toward the door.

“I’ll join you guys,” Lucy said. 

“You coming, Sarge?” Thorsen asked. 

“Nah, I’ve got to get home and let Kojo out.” Tim flapped his hand in their direction. Lucy tried to hide her disappointment. 

“Let’s go, Bradford, your ride is leaving,” Angela nodded toward her husband. 

* * *

Tim spent the car ride trying to convince Angela and Wesley that the Rams won because he wore the exact same clothing, down to the socks, as he had the last time they won the Super Bowl.

“You’re ridiculous,” Angela shook her head as she pulled into his driveway. “How are you hyper logical about everything else and then a total nut job when it comes to football?”

“You think that’s bad? When Lucy got to Wayward’s, I considered asking her to go back outside.” He laughed. 

“Why?” Wesley asked. 

“Because the Rams were winning the entire time she wasn’t there, and I didn’t want to jinx it.” 

“There were seconds left in the game.” Wesley pointed out. 

“Right. Just imagine if it had been minutes.”

Angela rolled her eyes and grabbed his keys from the cup holder where he’d dropped them.

She opened the door and Kojo popped up from his dog bed, wiggling his butt. 

Tim squatted so Kojo could lick his face. 

“Hey, Bud.” Tim scratched his back, and Kojo looked at him like he’d given him the moon.

His alarm system gave off a series of warning beeps.

“Tim!” Angela called out, looking at the panel. “What’s the code?” 

“2-8-5-3-7,” he told her.

“Why does that sound familiar?” Angela asked, looking at Wesley. He shrugged.

“Badge number.” Tim said reflexively.

“That’s not your badge number.” She keyed it in. The system disarmed. 

Tim shrugged, but didn’t meet her eye. 

“Alexa, play my playlist,” Tim ordered. 

Angela looked around and didn’t see a voice-activated device anywhere. 

“You don’t have an Alexa, dumbass.” 

“Oh, right.” 

“Whose badge number is that?” She asked, picking up on the fact he’d tried to distract her.

She did the math and it was too new to be Isabel’s. It was actually pretty close to Jackson’s. 

Realization tickled the back of her neck.

“Wait in the car?” She asked Wesley. He gave her a puzzled look, but did what she asked. 

“Is it Lucy’s?” She asked in a soft voice, once Wesley was out of earshot.

He sighed, clearly not up for this conversation. 

“This is why I hate drinking.” He grumbled. 

“Tim.” She covered his hand with her own. They were having this conversation whether he wanted to or not. “You’ve got to tell her how you feel.” 

“I change the alarm code twice a month,” he pulled away. “It doesn’t mean anything.” 

“You can lie to yourself, but don’t you dare lie to me.” Her voice took on an edge.

“It’s nothing.” His tone implied the conversation was over. He pulled the fridge open and tossed mayonnaise and mustard on the counter.

“Wow,” Angela narrowed her eyes. “Lied right to my face. I have half a mind to put a curse on you.”

“Don’t even joke about that.” Tim froze, holding the sourdough and turkey over his heart.

“Too late. You’ve forced my hand.” She turned toward the door.

“Angela, no.” He requested earnestly, setting the food down on the counter. “Do not put a curse on me.”

“Change my mind then.” She challenged him, her hands on her hips.

“I’m not ready,” he pushed back. 

“Then do you prefer appendages dropping off or boils?” She tilted her head.

“Fine.” He rocked his head back and forth. “There might be a feeling. Or two.” 

“Romantic?” She pressed.

“Yes,” he conceded, annoyance dragging out the word. 

“Love?” She pressed harder.

“Angela.” He warned, looking at her impatiently.

“Alright, that’s enough. For now,” she smiled slyly. 

“Thank God," he ushered her toward the foyer. "Now get out of here before I say something else that pisses you off.”

He practically pushed her out the door, locking it firmly behind her. 

She rolled her eyes on the way to the car. 

Men. So Easy.

Chapter Text

Nothing to see here

Lucy handed Thorsen a handful of darts. He was waiting respectfully for Chasity to finish her turn.

“So like, what’s the situationship with you and bossman?” Pete’s eyes followed Chasity as she tossed the dart into the board, scoring the first points of the game. 

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked, crossing her arms.

“Like is it open, poly, closed, are you two looking to explore yourselves or others?” Pete moved his hands in a casual juggling motion. 

“Are you talking about me and Tim?” She cracked a smile when Pete nodded eagerly. “We’re not an item. We work together.” 

“Really? Because he looks at you like you are a SNACK.” Pete threw the dart and missed the board completely. It wasn’t even his turn. 

“Nope, we’re just friends.” Lucy pretended it didn’t sting to say that out loud, then blinked. “Wait - why?”

She got a vibe. He wasn’t seriously hitting on her in front of his girlfriend, was he? 

“Look, I’m just putting it out there that Chasity and I are like super into threesomes, and I would personally consider a foursome because bossman is that pretty.”

Thorsen’s eyes went super wide. He handed Lucy his darts and crossed the room to Webb. 

“Oh. My. God.”  Lucy burst out laughing. She couldn’t believe Tim wasn’t there to hear this. 

Thorsen must have repeated the story because Webb’s reaction was almost as strong as Lucy’s. 

“Well, that’s hurtful.” Pete nodded and looked around the room.  

“What happened?” Nolan rushed over, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. 

“I just presented Lucy with an opportunity and now, honestly, she’s being a little unkind.”  Pete crossed his arms.

“I’m sorry,” Lucy gulped in air and wiped the tears from her eyes. “You just caught me off guard.” 

Nolan relaxed and took a swig from his beer.

“Ok cool, so what side do you think you’re going to fall on regarding the whole threesome thing?”

Nolan spit out his beer all over Pete. He didn’t even flinch.

“I’m opposed, but thank you for asking.” Lucy was beyond amused. She could not fathom how John and Pete shared a gene pool. 

“Consent is cool, yeah, just let us know if you change your mind.” He nodded, grabbing Chasity’s hand. 

“Yeah.”  Chastity agreed, giving Lucy elevator eyes. 

“Wow, I’m so flattered.” Lucy placed a hand on her chest. 

“I told you, you should have been the one to ask,” Pete whispered to Chasity. She nodded solemnly in agreement. 

“Next time, baby.” She promised.

Nolan dabbed a napkin on his temple.  “Am I having a stroke?” 

“No, you’re fine,” Pete assured him without looking at him. “But I know a place with shit that could give you one if you’d like.” 

“What? No. Why?” Nolan’s stress was replaced with honest confusion.

Pete put his hands in the air. “Just saying. If you guys wanna get a little weird later, I’ve got the hookup.” 

“Oooh, like what? I need examples.” Lucy coaxed. 

“Do not encourage him.” Nolan pleaded. 

“Man, having a cop for a half-brother is such a buzzkill. Why couldn’t you be a mall Santa or like a dog surfing instructor?”

“Is that even a thing?”

“Dude, you’ve never seen Santa at the mall where all the kids line up at Christmas time?” 

Nolan took a deep steadying breath.

“Nolan. It might be good for us to check out some of these places.” Lucy suggested. 

“What good could come of that?” Nolan looked like he could cry from frustration. 

“We could fight crime.” Lucy blinked at him. 

“Oh, right.”  Nolan turned back to Pete, “What do you got?” 

“So many options. Do you want to see people dress up like babies and dance to disco music?”

“No.” Nolan shook his head. Baby disco might be unusual but not illegal.

“An ice bar that lets you wear the skin of corpses donated to science?” 

“Ew! No.” Lucy vetoed. She’d ask for more details later. That had to be illegal but it would be better to let the Feds untangle that web.

“A warehouse turned fun house where every room provides a unique but visceral experience?” 

Lucy and Nolan looked at each other. Sounded like drugs. 

“Maybe.” 

“A zoo-enhanced rave with a P!nk cover band and no clothes allowed?” 

“No.” 

Thorsen and Webb rejoined the group and Pete listed out about fifteen more options. They wrote the top three on napkins and put them in a hat. 

“Lucy, you go ahead. Choose what new experience we’ll partake in tonight.” Pete winked openly.

Lucy shot him a warning look but pulled an option out of the hat anyway. 

“Funhouse mystery rooms.” She read.

“Sweet. That was definitely in the top ten for me.” Pete said. 

“I’m senior officer so I’ll take lead.” Webb chugged water. 

“Is it just me or is this a terrible idea?” Thorsen asked, trying to be the voice of reason.

“Honestly, I’ve heard Nolan has a reputation for attracting trouble like a magnet but I’ve never seen it up close.” Webb rubbed his hands together and smiled, clearly not dissuaded from the fact.

“Is that what you and Pete have in common? Trouble magnets?” Thorsen asked.

“I might seek it out but it never sticks, baby!” Pete pumped his arm in the air.

“I don’t seek it out and it always sticks,” Nolan considered that, “you should stick with Webb for this, just in case.”

Thorsen’s eyes widened apprehensively and he nodded.

“I’ll call it in, we’ll get units on standby in case we find anything unlawful. We go in, unarmed, just to check the place out. Is that clear?” Webb looked around the room.

Everyone nodded. Webb stepped away to call it into dispatch. 

“Wait, was armed an option?” Pete asked, garnering more dagger eyes from Nolan. 

“I’ll call a limo to take us,” Thorsen brought his phone to his ear. When Nolan and Lucy gave him a bemused look, he added, “It’ll help with our cover.” 

Within no time, they were on their way. 

Lucy texted Tim from the limo to let him know where they were heading and why so that he wouldn’t hear it from dispatch after the fact. It was approaching ten so she figured he’d be out cold after the day of day drinking he had. 

Her phone vibrated a minute later, proving her wrong. 

That is a terrible idea.

A moment later, another message came through. 

On my way.

She bit her lip, smiling.

Sugar Air

They decided to take a quick lap within the warehouse to get the lay of the land. 

A few feet from the entrance lay a wide dance floor, packed with people jumping up and down to EDM, which was blasting over the speakers. Lucy didn’t see anything unusual. The air smelled a little sugary like someone had sprayed edible perfume. Some of the dancers seemed drunk, may be high, but nothing blatantly illicit.

Off to the side, she noticed a hallway that split into two paths like a triangle. 

“We should go in there,” Pete grabbed Chastity’s hand and led her down the left side. Nolan slumped his shoulders and followed. 

“Let’s take right,” Lucy motioned for Webb and Thorsen to tail her. The music was immediately dampened. 

They cracked open the doors to the rooms that lined the right side of the wall. 

The first room contained a huge clear bowl. It was filled halfway with colorful plastic balls usually found in a ballpit. The next room was completely blacked out with glow-in-the-dark paint. It looked like outer space if stars were the color of the rainbow. Both were empty. 

“What the hell!” Lucy heard Pete yell. 

“Pete, no!” Nolan’s panicked voice followed. 

“Go,” Lucy directed Webb and Thorsen. They ran in the direction of Nolan’s voice and Lucy continued down the hall. 

Her phone rang and she answered without looking.

“I’m about to pull into the lot. What’s the situation?” 

“I don’t know yet.” 

“Where are you?” 

“If you head past the dance floor, there are two hallways. I went down the right. The guys are down the left.” 

“Why are you alone?” Tim demanded.

“Nolan yelled out, I just sent Thorsen and Webb after him.”

Tim cursed. 

Lucy rounded a corner and was presented with a bright yellow room shaped like a hexagon. 

Someone was on the ground inside the doorway.

“Tim, radio for an RA. We’ve got a body.” Lucy leaned down and checked for a pulse. There was one, but it was faint. “Male. Late twenties. Pulse present, but weak.” 

She heard him repeat the description and radio it in. 

Lucy lightly pressed the door open. 

Inside, four more people were on the ground. Two were unconscious, and two were writhing on the ground and laughing. She quickly checked their pulses. 

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked the woman convulsing on the ground, smiling wildly. 

“What are you doing back here?” A gruff voice demanded from behind the door. 

She turned around, and a man in a hazmat suit towered over her. His suit matched the color of the walls. He almost blended in, except for the tank with a pump he held in his white gloved hands. She backed up a step.

“LAPD, stop!” She pulled out her badge.

The man swung the pump in her direction and sprayed her. 

“Lucy!” Tim yelled through the phone.  

“Gas.” Lucy coughed into the phone. “Get LAFD here.” 

She waved the air in front of her, and pulled her shirt over her face but knew it was too late. Lucy backed away until her back was against the wall. He sprayed until the tank ran out, then dropped it and ran. 

The air grew sweet around her, a faint metallic taste on her tongue. 

A giddy sensation built in her abdomen. She fell to her knees. A cackle escaped her mouth, feeling foreign and out of control. She saw the tank on the ground and crawled over to flip it over. 

Nitrous Oxide. Laughing gas.

She melted into the floor. 

Sirens sounded in the distance.  

The Strangest 

Lucy had the vague sensation of being lifted. All of her limbs were wiggly. Someone said her name, she was pretty sure. 

She held onto her stomach as a giggle escaped her throat unprovoked. Her muscles felt like electrocuted jello.

Cool air hit her skin and she took in a deep breath. She blinked tears out of her eyes. 

Tim sat her down on the sidewalk and held onto her shoulder to keep her from falling back. 

He smiled unnaturally wide.

“Shit,” he laughed, sitting beside her, grabbing his gut with his other hand. 

“It hurts. No it doesn’t. But it doesn’t not hurt either.” She told him. She grabbed onto his thigh and squeezed as another giggle escaped.

“It’s awful,” He managed to get out. He groaned and leaned back. With the support from his arm gone, Lucy fell over.

“Oof,” she landed on his chest. 

“Mmmmmmmmm.” She hummed against him as a laughing fit hit him. “We’re vibrating.” 

“Take. Some. Deep breaths.” He tightened his arms around her to quel the spasm.

“Oh,” She looped her hands underneath his shoulders to hold him closer, “that helps.” 

Her head began to clear. 

“Better?” He asked, looking down his chest at her, sucking in fresh air.

She nodded and finally felt her body relaxing.

“We need to get all of those people out.” She thought about sitting up, but her muscles were still weak. 

“Bailey’s team is handling that.” Tim pointed across the lot. On cue, several masked up firefighters jogged into the building. 

He pushed himself up into a seated position and helped Lucy do the same.

A large group of people wearing Rams jerseys were escorted out of the warehouse. 

They were laughing and yelling, “Whose House? Rams House!” 

Two firefighters handed the man in the yellow hazmat suit to patrol officers.

Lucy waved when she saw a paramedic helping Pete and Chasity sit on the curb about twenty feet from them. They had oxygen masks on. Pete pulled his down. 

“You still opposed to my proposition earlier?” He yelled.

“Yep!” Lucy yelled back. 

“Ok! Just checking!” He put the mask back on. 

“What proposition?” Tim asked, the corner of his mouth ticking up. 

“I’ll give you a hint. It involved you, me, Pete and Chasity.” 

Tim looked at Pete and Chasity, who waved back at him eagerly. 

“Oh,” He raised his eye brows.

“Mmhmm.” Lucy bit back a smile. 

He let out a laugh. 

“This has been the strangest night of my life.” She grinned widely. The effects of the laughing gas were beginning to fade, each half-life weaker than the one before. 

“Pssh. It barely cracked my top five.” He winked at her. 

She punched him in the arm, and he almost fell over. 

“You should have come out with us. We missed you.” She gave him a hard time.

I missed you, she thought.

“I needed to sober up.” He swallowed, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

“Look where that got you.” She motioned to the parking lot as more RAs pulled in to handle the volume of people from the warehouse. 

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded. “But you know me. I like to be clear-headed.”

“You like to be in control.” She clarified. 

“That too.” 

“You know you can just be Tim with me, clear-headed or not.” She put her hand over his and squeezed.

He was about to say something when Bailey walked up. Lucy started to sneak her hand away but Tim held it in place, skimming his thumb over her knuckles. 

“Are you two okay?”  Bailey asked. 

“We’re good. Where are Nolan, Webb and Thorsen?” Lucy asked. 

“They got locked in a cage with a dominatrix dressed as Tiger when they helped Pete and Chasity escape.” Bailey rolled her eyes and handed them two water bottles. “My guys are on their way down with the jaws of life to break them out.” 

Classic Nolan, Lucy laughed. His reputation remained firmly intact. 

Lucy looked at Tim expectantly. 

“Okay, top three.” He conceded.

She was suddenly so thirsty. She struggled to unscrew the top of the water bottle. Bailey squatted down and twisted it off for her. 

“What exactly happened?” Tim asked. 

“They had the HVAC system rigged with a low stream of nitrous oxide. It looks like when you interrupted the festivities, they cranked it up.”

Lucy recalled the faint sweetness in the air when they first walked in. 

“Are the people who were exposed the longest going to be okay?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, they should be fine. Luckily, it’s really hard to overdose on this stuff. They just need some oxygen. Speaking of which, we’ve still got a lot of people in there to clear out. I’ll see you guys later.” 

Bailey pulled her mask down and jogged through the entrance. 

“Hey,” Lucy bumped Tim’s shoulder. “Thanks for having my back tonight.”

“Always.” He said very matter of fact, the corner of his mouth rising into a half smile. 

He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her into his side, resting his palm on her hip. She leaned into him and they took in the chaos of the night, together.