ONE-SHOTS

Are You Ready? I'll Be Ready [Lou x Debbie]

Are You Ready? I'll Be Ready.
by hope_s

Summary:
Lou missed Debbie – Debbie her friend, Debbie her lover, but also Debbie the artist, the leader. And this is a new side of her, something more tempered and refined. Debbie has a command of herself that Lou hasn't seen before, and Lou bursts with pride at the sight of her, at the sound of her even, soothing voice.
Lou doesn't pay much attention to the words of Debbie's preliminary speech. She's too busy focusing on Debbie herself...

"In three and a half weeks, the Met will be hosting its annual ball, celebrating its new costume exhibit, and we are going to rob it..."

Lou didn't pay much attention to Debbie's preliminary speech. She filled in a word or two here and there, mostly because she was desperately trying to keep her mind on Debbie's words and not on...well, Debbie. But oh, it was difficult. The way everyone else hung on Debbie's "hypothetical situation," the way she walked among them as though she could actually walk through them if she wanted, the way her simple dark outfit and dark hair emphasized the grace of her wrists and fingers and neck – it all worked to heighten Lou's pulse and make the blood rush in her ears. She had missed this. She had missed Debbie – Debbie her friend, Debbie her lover, but also Debbie the artist, the leader. And this was a new side of her, something more tempered and refined. She had a command of herself that Lou hadn't seen before, and Lou burst with pride at the sight of her, at the sound of her even, soothing voice. It was hard to remember that this was real, that she wouldn't wake suddenly to find herself alone, waiting...Lou flicked her lighter open and closed against her thumb, and the heat of the little flame reminded her that she was awake.

"So," Debbie was saying, "go home, get your affairs in order. Because tomorrow, we begin pulling off one of the biggest jewelry heists in history." Lou grinned and popped her gum as Debbie finished speaking and leaned against the stage. There was a smattering of questions, but Debbie held up her hands to stop them.

"Look," she said, eyes traveling over the faces lit in the glow of the projector screen, "save your questions, all right? They'll probably be answered over the next couple days anyway. Starting tomorrow, this place will be open to you twenty-four/seven, but..." Debbie glanced at Lou with an ever-so-slightly pleading look. 

Lou stood up from her perch on the cluster of chairs by the screen. "We have keys for all of you – you can grab them on your way out, and we'll convene daily at noon to go over various parts of the job. Otherwise, Debbie's right. This is a big one, guys, and we're all going to be running on too little sleep. Savor it while you can, and we'll see everyone by noon tomorrow, okay?"

Debbie shot Lou a subtle smile as everyone began to move towards the door, and Lou took it as a thank-you for stepping in. They had agreed on having the loft to themselves tonight, under the guise of needing to run over the plan a few more times. It had been a busy few weeks since Debbie's release, and Lou missed her already, even though they were spending nearly all their time together (except when Lou was at the club). Dragging her gaze away from Debbie who was ushering Rose out of the door, Lou caught Tammy's eye. Tammy raised an eyebrow, and Lou winked in response. Tammy rolled her eyes and purposely nudged Lou in the shoulder on her way towards the door.

"They'll find out, you know," she whispered in Lou's ear.

"Find out what?" Lou shot back innocently.

"You two are unbelievable," Tammy muttered, almost to herself. 

"Oh, we really are," Lou replied with a grin and another wink.

Tammy groaned. "Ugh. First, I have Debbie practically offering to fuck me in my own garage to get me into this mess, and now I have you doing..." She gestured at Lou in vague sort of way, searching for words. "...this," she finished lamely, eyes darting pointedly down to Lou's provocatively displayed cleavage.