In Rumors I'm Knee-Deep

When Lucy Chen took a seat at a small table next to the food trucks, she was aware that half of the station had congregated in the area for lunch, and it felt like a few of them were LOOKING at her.

Tim Bradford came up behind her and set her burger down on the table in front of her.

She smiled appreciatively knowing that he ordered her burger perfectly and paid for it without so much as needing confirmation about her want for extra pickles or asking to pay him back. "Thanks."

"You know the rule," he said simply.

In response, she nudged her basket of fries closer to him so that they could share.

Angela Lopez and Nyla Harper had grown accustomed to how Tim and Lucy acted around each other with a silent shorthand honed from a year as rookie and Training Officer. Of course, while other rookies were promoted and took a step away from working with their former Training Officers, it was not long before Lucy and Tim were riding together again with new roles as Sergeant and Aide, but their dynamic was identical to before.

"You're not getting out of paperwork again because of the Lakers game tonight," Lucy said, since she knew what Tim was going to say.

He took another bite of a fry and shook his head. "That's the rule."

"When I was a rookie, but I'm your Aide now."

"You're my Gopher."

"Call me whatever you want, but you're helping me with the paperwork. We've already booked ten people this morning."

"The point of having a Gopher is that it doesn't matter how many people we book, I won't miss a second of the game."

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, I still have to walk Kojo. I don't want to miss tip off," Tim justified his position.

"I'll walk Kojo if it means you do half the forms today."

"Why do I even have a Gopher?" He groaned.

"Shut up," she said, unamused. "Wait, did you get green onions on your tacos today?"

"I didn't WANT green onions," he corrected with a grimace.

Lucy pulled his tray of food over to use a fork to pick out the green onions in a taco and handed it to him before starting to do the same to the other two.

Nyla was grateful the bickering portion of their lunch had finished to make way for the spirited debating about whether green onions should really be considered a kind of onion, and then the predictable end of their lunch break with Lucy smiling and Tim's scowl completely evaporated.

"We should get back on patrol," Lucy said.

"Yeah, we have REAL police work to do unlike you detectives," Tim teased.

She bumped her elbow into his. "Why can't you be supportive of our friends?"

"They're missing all the action," he explained with a shrug.

"You're hopeless," Lucy said fondly.

Nyla's eyes flitted between Tim and Lucy disappearing in the distance and the onlooking fellow officers. "Okay, I didn't want to admit it, but I totally see it."

"See what?" Angela asked.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumors."

Quickly growing invested in the gossip, Angela smirked and wondered, "What rumors?"

"That the reason Tim ultimately picked Lucy to be his Aide is because they're dating."

Angela scoffed. "Seriously? That's so sexist just because a man and a woman are partnered together, that doesn't automatically mean they're dating."