Work Text:
The night was quiet in Los Angeles, at least in the area around Toretto's garage. In the distance you could hear the distant roar of a tuned engine, a dog barked somewhere, and the smell of burnt rubber hung over everything - a typical evening for Dom and his team.
Inside, however, it was anything but quiet. Jesse sat at the workbench, his eyes fixed on his laptop while his fingers raced over the keyboard. Next to him lay a modified police radio, connected to a network of cables that hummed quietly.
"Okay, guys..." Jesse murmured in concentration. "Just a few more seconds... and... I'm in!"
Leon, who had just sat down on a car tire with a donut in his hand, raised an eyebrow. "You mean you can listen to Brian's radio now? And watch through his bodycam?"
Jesse grinned triumphantly. "Oh yeah. We're practically watching it live now."
Mia leaned against the counter with her arms crossed and shook her head. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."
"Oh, come on, Mia!" Letty interjected. "After all, we recorded Brian, we have a right to know if he gets into trouble again."
Dom, who had been listening in silence, stepped closer with his arms crossed. His gaze rested on Jesse. "Can he detect us?"
Jesse shook his head vigorously. "Nope. Just a received signal. He has no idea that we're listening and watching."
Dom thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. But no stupid games."
Vince raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Yes, yes..."
"Sure," grinned Jesse. “And if he does anything stupid again, we’ll be the first to hear about it.”
With one last press of a button, he activated the loudspeaker.
“Headquarters, this is 2-Adam-12. I’m on my way to a late-night fight at a burger joint. Let’s see if it’s about ketchup or honor.”
Chaos broke out in the garage.
Leon burst out laughing and almost dropped his donut. “I love that guy!”
Vince, who had just been examining an engine block, leaned on his elbows. “Sometimes I really wonder how he even became a cop.”
Tanner’s tired voice came over the radio. “O’Conner, can you please just do your job FOR ONCE, without stand-up comedy?”
“I’m doing my job. I'm just mentally preparing everyone for what's coming."
Dom shook his head and grinned as Letty leaned against the workbench, laughing.
"I can't wait to see how this escalates," she said with a wide grin.
Brian parked the cruiser in front of the fast food restaurant, turned off the engine, and took a moment to peer through the window. Inside, two guys were facing each other - muscles tense, jaws clenched, like they were about to have a boxing match.
Behind the counter stood an annoyed cashier who looked like he was fed up with everything today.
Brian got out, walked through the door, and looked around the room.
"Okay, what's going on here?" he asked, a hint of fatigue in his voice.
The cashier groaned loudly. "The two of them are fighting over the last cheeseburger meal."
There was complete silence in the garage for a moment.
Then Jesse almost collapsed laughing. "WHAT?!"
Dom slowly shook his head while Vince grinned and shook his head.
"Boy, Brian really has the best cases," Jesse muttered.
"It was the LAST one! And I had a rough day!" one of the men complained loudly.
"As if my day was any better! I just wanted to go home with a cheeseburger in my hand!"
Brian slumped down on one of the bar stools with a heavy sigh.
"Guys... you seriously willing to fight for a burger?"
"If I was there, I would have just taken it," Vince muttered dryly.
"Honestly, I can understand that," they heard Brian say. "I mean, if someone stole my last taco..."
"HE FORGETS HIMSELF AGAIN!" Letty shouted, laughing.
Tanner came on the radio again. "O'Conner, solve the problem. And DON'T EAT THE DAMN BURGER YOURSELF!"
Brian rolled his eyes. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a five-dollar bill and put it on the counter.
"Here. Buy yourself a new burger. Problem solved."
Silence in the garage.
Then the crew burst into laughter.
Jesse fell back in his chair. "Oh my God... did he just solve a police problem with a fiver?!"
Leon gasped. "I swear, the guy is a genius"
Letty patted Vince on the shoulder. "I hope you didn't think we were the only messed up family here."
Dom rubbed a hand over his face, but couldn't help but grin.
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Brian really takes his job... creatively."
"He doesn't just take it creatively," Vince said, shaking his head. "He lives in his own damn sitcom."
Jesse couldn't stop giggling. "And that's exactly why we did it! So we wouldn't miss out on those damn gold pieces!"
"2-Adam-12 to dispatch - dispute resolved, no further incidents."
Rodriguez came on the radio. "You really ended a fast food war with a fiver?"
"I'm a man of diplomacy."
The garage EXPLODED with laughter.
Vince wiped tears from his eyes. "I love it. I love it SO much."
Dom shook his head with a smile. "We'll continue tomorrow."
Jesse beamed. "I told you!"
And so began her new favorite hobby. Day 1 of the Brian wiretapping program was a complete success.