Promises

new friends

*Song: Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons* 

It had been about 3 weeks since you last saw Flip. You talked to him every day so you knew he was okay but you knew this case must really be screwing with him. When you talked to him you could hear his voice was strained. It was almost like Flip wasn't sleeping at all.

When he called you to meet for lunch you immediately jumped at the offer. I mean you really wanted to see him but you also just wanted to look into his eyes to make sure he was okay. You both had decided to get lunch at the diner you worked at, Daisy's.

You decided to get there a little early to see if you could get Flip's favorite booth. He always liked the one towards the back next to the window. When you got there you saw it was open and asked your co-worker, Sadie, if you could sit there and of course she had no problem with it.

A few minutes later you noticed a figure slide into the booth. You took your eyes off your phone and looked up at your best friend. He had a smile on his face and you were so relieved to see him. He was wearing his usual flannel and jeans combo. You could tell just by his features he was exhausted but his smile that just reached his eyes made you absolutely melt in your seat. You hadn't realized how much you missed him until he was sitting directly in front of you.

You guys began talking about anything and everything except for the one thing that you knew was bothering him, the case. Deciding it was time to bite the bullet. "Alright, what's wrong? No offense you look like shit and I can tell from the bags under your eyes you haven't been sleeping and on top of it, you haven't even finished your food. Out of all the years, I have known you, you have never once not finished a meal. Hell, you usually even finish mine. So, Flip if you lie and say it's nothing I swear to go I will dump this whole cup of coke on your lap."

He sighed extremely deeply and rubbing his face aggressively with that, you knew you had him. "Ugh, fine. This case has been hell. I have only leave the station to sleep and shower. Which as you can tell has turned into just showering and napping. I am barely home anymore and on top of it, these people I'm investigating are just awful humans who if I could I would beat in a heartbeat. But seriously that's all I can tell you."

"Flip, all I need to know is are you okay? Like really okay?' With a nod from Flip, you knew this conversation was over.

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After lunch, you both decided to head to this dive bar you both loved to have a beer, and honestly, you just knew he needed it. When you got there Flip brought you to your usual table it was in the perfect line of the bar, which made it easier for you to get drinks. After a while of talking, you noticed Flip get tense. You turned to look and that's when he grabbed your hand as his life depended on it. If he wasn't looking at you like it was life or death you probably would have enjoyed this.

"Y/N my name is Ron Stallworth," he said with pleading eyes. Before you could even ask a question two men approached the table. You immediately got a sick feeling in your stomach and you knew whoever they were they were not good people.

The first was to talk was a man named Walter. He introduced himself and told you he was a friend of Ron's. It was pleasant but you didn't like the look his friend was giving you. It was almost like he was preying on you trying to prove something.

"Ron, who is this beautiful woman you have been hiding from us. I mean I would sure love to see her around our gatherings more. Oh by the way I'm Felix." He stuck his hand out and you took it not really understanding what was going on. You politely said your name and when he held your hand a little too long Flip immediately took notice and got tense.

"Boys, this is my girlfriend, Y/N." Flip preceded to grab your hand and rub circles with his thumb. You could tell he was doing it more for his sake than yours but you still liked the protectiveness it portrayed.

The guys talked for a few more minutes and you were honestly just so confused you barely listened to a thing they said. When the two men went to leave you could tell Felix kept staring at you and it made you very uncomfortable but you sat there trying not to screw up anything for Flip so you just smiled. As they walked away Felix turned one last time and winked at you. With that, you immediately felt like you were going to throw up. Flip grabbed your hand and he looked like he was honestly going to get sick too.

"Well, I guess you're my girlfriend now." He chuckled and so did you. Honestly, you wished that the statement was true but you knew he was just trying to joke and lighten the mood.

"So now you see why I have been stress. They are the people I am working a case on. You can not tell anyone about this okay?"

"Hey hey hey dont worry I won't say a word, I promise" you glanced down trying to figure out what this entire thing is "So what does this mean now that they think I'm your girlfriend? Do I have to see them again or is this just going to be one time?"

"I'm sorry I got you into this. To be honest I have no idea what this means. I'm going to have to tell Ron, Bridges, and Trapp and just see what they say."

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It was a few hours later and you were sitting on your watching reruns of Hawaii Five-0 just relaxing trying to forget the stress of the day. You were basically asleep when you heard the door opening. You glanced up and noticed Flip staring at you. You gave him a weird look but returned back to the TV. You looked back and noticed him still standing there staring at you.

"Hello, earth to Flip! Are you just going to stand there like a creep or say something?"

"Sorry...Um, I need you to get changed and come to the station with me." You stared back this time with utter confusion. "Come on please we need to go like now" and with that, you knew whatever it was is not going to be good for you.

a/n: hey sorry this was delayed school has really been kicking my ass. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Hopefully ill get the next chapter out within the next couple of days.