You didn’t remember how you fell asleep, clutching your keyboard like Leo the Lion — a.k.a. your stuffed animal — you still denied having. Maybe because of the mountain of papers you had to fill, or because you didn’t drink your morning coffee…

But you sure as hell remember how you woke.

“Lift your ass up, you ****************************!” Deb said, entering your shared office brutally.

You winced, making the keyboard crash on the ground. You sat up and sighed. “Hello to you too, partner.”

She huffed, stole your coffee (which is, in reality, water with chocolate inside since there’s no coffee) and took a sip. When she got the trap, she spat everything…

…On your papers.

Well at least, you now have a reason not to do them.

“I’m going to make you eat your tie, you—”

You were already out, running away from the office. Being Debra Morgan’s partner was many things. Fun, annoying, intense…

But surely not peaceful.

You always prided yourself for being a good cop. You were well spoken, polite — which always made you seem soft in the eyes of others. The Pretty Mouth.

Like they called you. So you tried to act tough. As tough as the foul-mouthed, strong, badass cop that was Debra L. Morgan. A.k.a. The Big Mouth.

When she caught up to you, you were holding a coffee (you bought it illico presto) with a donut (you bought it illico presto too). She took them from you, the corner of her lips twitching up and down as she fought down a smile. “You’re insane. For putting up with me, I mean.”

You sipped your own coffee, leaning against the car, sunglasses on despite it being winter, as you looked everywhere and nowhere at the same time. “Did you just understand that, now?”

And she did smile. For real this time. Before giving you her empty cup to throw in the trash and going toward the car.

“Anyway. We have a case. A jogger. Found on a beach.”

She opened the car and sat inside. You joined her after passing by the bin. You swore you saw her smirking before she threw something on your lap.

Leo the Lion.

A.k.a. the bane of your hardened cop life.