Narrator's POV
February 1989

Mickey sat on a park bench, looking out towards the open ocean in front of her. It's one of the only places that can calm her down after a long day. The sounds of the waves crashing on the rocky shore were relaxing and peaceful. She was breathing in through her nose, and out through her mouth to get her heart rate down after the devastating end to her shift.

Metropolis is right along the west coast of the Evergreen State. There's some beach parks with benches and grassy areas, along with barbecue pits that are very popular in the summer. It's February, so almost no one was around besides Mickey. This evening was chilly, and light clouds in the sky danced around the setting sun.

Mickey got her cast off that week, so Fuller put her on a case. She had a long shift, which ended the most tragic way possible. She was chasing a kid up many flights of stairs, finally reaching the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Evergreen State. Mickey had to arrest him, so she pointed her gun at him and ordered the kid to put his hands up because he was armed. Instead, he ran to the edge of the roof and shot himself before falling to the ground. Mickey couldn't stop hearing the sound of the gun going off, and her screaming for him to stop.

She had finally stopped shaking, but did not have the energy to move. She was still in shock. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could see the entire scene unfolding in front of her again and again, with the same ending. She had never had a kid kill himself in front of her before, and no amount of experience or training can prepare someone for that. She imagined that it will never get easier.

While at the chapel, Tom got concerned when Mickey did not come back from the assignment when it started to get late. He was aware of the outcome, but did not know that Mickey had to witness it first-hand. He grabbed his car keys and clocked out early to try to find her.

It wasn't until the sun started to go down that he remembered Mickey's favorite spot on the water. He parked and immediately saw her sitting on a park bench, overlooking the rippling ocean. Her hair was down in soft waves from the braid she had in earlier in the day, with her uniform still on. He grabbed his leather jacket from the backseat of his car and swung the door shut.

"How'd I know I'd find you here?" Tom asked, walking up to her. Mickey slowly turned her head to Tom, barely acknowledging him before turning back to the water. Tom saw no life dancing in her hazel eyes, he almost couldn't believe that it was Mickey right in front of him.

She let a soft exhale escape her lips. She wasn't sure how much he knew about the situation, but she wasn't going to be able to talk about it right then. In fact, she was almost regretful that she told Tom about her special place at all, because now he can see how vulnerable she is. She just wanted to tie up her hair and smile like it was no big deal, but she didn't even have the energy to do that.

Tom looked at Mickey, and he furrowed his eyebrows at her. He sat next to her on the bench, and didn't say anything. After draping his jacket around her shoulders, he wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, wordlessly. She sniffed emptily, and kept her eyes on the darkening water. She was afraid that if she spoke and broke down, he wouldn't think just that she was strong enough to be at Jump Street.

"Are you okay?" Tom asked her, finding that his head was resting gently on top of hers. He tilted his head to look at her, and he tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

Mickey was silent. Tom knew that her assignment was difficult, but he wasn't sure what exactly happened. Fuller would not tell him, and Mickey wasn't talking. She pours her heart into every case she has, but Tom knows it takes its toll on her. How could it not? Tom thought, "was it something I said to make her feel like she was a burden? Why won't she talk to me?"

"Hey, Mick..." Tom began to say, trying to think of the right words. He wanted to tell her how he truly felt about her. About how every time he looks at her, it's like the first time. How all of his emotions feel like explosions when she's around, and how the world doesn't exist when he is with her.

"Mmhm?" She mumbled.

Tom tried to move his mouth but no words came out. He was overthinking, and came to the conclusion that this was not the time to admit his true feelings for his best friend. Another variable that kept Tom from admitting his feelings, other than cowardice, was his girlfriend, Jackie Garrett. Jackie used to like Mickey, but really didn't like that she and Tom were together so much. Her attitude towards Mickey quickly turned sour, for good reason. Their relationship blossomed very recently, and he felt like he had little control over it. He did not like her as much as Mickey, but he did not think that he could be with her. There were so many variables that kept them apart. Nobody said it was easy to be in love with your best friend, but no one ever said it would be this hard. Tom felt conflicted. He eventually chickened out and struggled to say, "nothing. Nothing."

Mickey is rarely shaken up by assignments, but there was something about this one that shook her to her core. She felt much better once Tom joined her, but she knew that she couldn't talk about it without getting emotional and upset. She was running through her head every scenario that could have occurred that would have saved the boys life. What she could have done to save him from himself. She kept thinking that if she did one thing different, he would still be alive. In jail, but alive. This distracted her so much that even though she was in his embrace, Mickey barely noticed that Tom was there.

"Do you want me to leave?" Tom asked her softly, twisting the ends of her hair between his fingers. When she is feeling down, all he wants is to make her feel happier.

She let out a small, "no."

"Okay," he said gently. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

He kissed the top of her head and they stayed sitting by the water, watching as the sun went down slowly. The sky casted brilliant pinks and oranges that blended with the soft white clouds that floated sporadically in the sky. They stayed until the yellow sun disappeared under the horizon, eventually turning the sky into a velvet purple blanket and the light from the stars was softer than satin.

Tom will always be there for her when she's ready, no matter when that is.

I tried to make this one pure, wholesome, and sweet! Hope you liked it!
Next chapter follows the return of Russell Buckins!! 🥳
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