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English
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Published:
2024-03-11
Updated:
2024-03-18
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4,092
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3/?
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soft edges and jagged shards

Summary:

Tim’s first thought when he sees his new T.O. is that she’s soft.

OR

Tim is one of Mid-Wilshire's newest rookies and he gets assigned to none other than Lucy Chen.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Tim’s first thought when he sees his new T.O. is that she’s soft.

The wool of his navy blue, long-sleeved uniform isn’t bothering him, nor is the fact that it’s the Mid-Wilshire precinct he’s ended up in. He couldn’t care less that he’s been stationed here along with legacy West and upbeat, clueless Nolan. But this… this matters.

He had clocked the T.O. trio going in, had watched their mannerisms after getting into his uniform. It’s just his luck, too, that out of the three women, he gets the one who’s the least compatible with him. Officer Lopez is mouthy and straightforward, while Bishop doesn’t seem to suffer through any nonsense.

Officer Lucy Chen, though… Well, she’s beautiful, for starters, not that it matters, but too sunshine-y for his taste—mellow in a way that would better fit a Kindergarten teacher rather than a police officer, much less one responsible for training recruits for the hardships of the job. It had never crossed his mind before, but now he wonders if he’ll spend the next 13 months of his life assigning speeding tickets and helping the elderly cross the street.

So, once roll call is over, Tim stays behind for a word with the Watch Commander. He stands aside as Sergeant Grey chews Nolan up and spits him out, and Tim can’t help but agree with his words about the other rookie. Nolan is too nice (and, to be blunt, too old) for the job, so Tim has reason to believe the sergeant will be sympathetic to Tim’s cause. If the older man can see how much of a hazard having Nolan around is, surely he can appreciate the incompatibility of pairing Tim with Chen. Tim was a soldier, after all, and he hadn’t joined the force to be coddled.

He waits for Nolan to clear the room before speaking, standing at attention with both hands behind his back. “Sir, I wanted to raise a concern regarding my T.O.”

Grey cocks his head. “I’m listening.”

“I would like to request a different one. I’d be good with either Officer Lopez or Officer Bishop, sir.”

“Is there a reason Chen shouldn’t be your superior officer? Any prior involvement I need to know about?”

The question throws him a little. Of course, she is beautiful, but to assume they had been involved? It’s a bit of a reach. His last relationship had been with Isabel during his Army days, and look how well that turned out. “No, sir. Respectfully, I don’t think we’d be a good fit. It seems Nolan or even West would be more up her alley.”

The sergeant hums, his gaze fixed on Tim. At this point, though, he’s used to being evaluated and doesn’t fidget under the other man’s scrutiny. “Is that so? You see, Bradford, I thought, given your stint in the military, that of all of the recruits, you would be the one who would give me the least amount of trouble.

“It would appear I assumed wrong. Go find your T.O., you’re dismissed.”

Years of drilled obedience make him comply—it’s a direct order, after all. It seems he didn't leave the best of first impressions on the Watch Commander, but he had to at least try. If he was doomed to have a mushy T.O. in charge of his training, he’d have to put extra effort off hours to learn how to do his job well. 

He meets Chen outside the bullpen, and there’s a soft smile on her lips. “Officer Bradford, everything okay?”

Tim clenches his jaw. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Great. Shall we?”

He gives her a curt nod in reply.

Nolan is dashing out, carrying two war bags and two shotguns as Bishop shouts at him to ‘hurry up, Boot!” near the sally port. Meanwhile, Tim’s own T.O. accompanies him to the equipment room, sharing pleasantries with the officer in charge as they wait.

She also offers to help Tim carry the bags, but Tim shortly declines, cursing his bad luck internally. It’s not her job to be kind—she should be putting him through his paces at the very least, calling him ‘Boot’ and making him work to gain her respect—but it seems everyone but Officer Chen is aware of that fact.

“This is our shop,” she says as they get to their vehicle. “Every day you’ll be required to check it for any exterior damage and log your findings, next you should search it for anything your suspects may have left behind, money, drugs, or anything that isn’t supposed to be there. Don’t worry, you can get it in writing later.” 

It takes all Tim has in him not to roll his eyes at her. He’s not supposed to take notes, he’s supposed to know it by heart already. That’s what the Academy was about—preparation. If not for the reality of the streets, then at least for the protocols of the job.

Chen continues as they go towards the shop’s trunk. “Then we move on to the shotgun safety check, though I assume, given your past, you’re more than familiar with this part?”

He nods again, verifying the gun's barrels to ensure it’s clear before loading it. It’s ready to go, so he closes the action and awaits further instructions.  

Chen tilts her head. “You know, Bradford, you’re allowed to use your words.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He can tell she’s waiting for more, but he’s not inclined to add anything else, so she continues. “Ooookay. Check the war bags. Make sure nothing is missing or malfunctioning. Lastly, turn on your body cam and test it.”

Begrudgingly, he says, “All good.”

“Then we’re good to get into the shop. Here.” She tosses him the keys, and that’s probably the only silver lining to this situation—that he won’t have to just sit and get bored out of his skull as she kiddy-gloves him to within an inch of his sanity.

“Turn on the computer and log onto it, then test the sirens and you’re all set.”

Once Tim does, she turns in her seat and asks, “How are you feeling?”

He grits his teeth—the last thing he wants is to discuss his feelings for God’s sake. 

“Fine,” he says, then belatedly, “ma’am.”

In an unexpected turn, her voice hardens just a bit. “Be sure of it, Officer Bradford. You’re going into the streets with a loaded weapon and people will depend on you to protect them. You need to be able to handle it.”

He meets her eyes for maybe the first time since their gazes crossed during roll call, they’re an intense but lovely shade of brown, steely, and he thinks that perhaps he had misjudged her. “I’m ready for duty, ma’am.”

She softens again and he thinks he must have imagined it. 

Tim starts driving and, as he turns onto a different street, he catches a small smile on her face. “Now tell me, why did you choose to join the LAPD?”

He already knows it’s going to be a long day.