A/N: I think I have an idea on where I want to take this story line and I'm excited to begin writing the next chapter. Enjoy!
Liv breezed through the precinct with a dumb smile on her face instead of her usual sleepy Monday morning scowl.
It probably looked out of place, judging by the unsure waves and smiles the officers milling around the lobby were giving her. They weren't used to seeing her so cheery, but she had a skip in her step thanks to a certain lawyer.
And she didn't ever think he would be the reason for that.
Yesterday, despite the awkward morning, had been a great way to kick off the year in her opinion. She walked around the rest of the day with an uncharacteristically stupid smile on her face that even Noah was accustomed to seeing. The best part was her waking up feeling refreshed and fulfilled this morning and she could definitely get used to that feeling.
It also probably had something do with the fact that the majority of that night's memories had come back to her in pieces. She wasn't going to be able to look at whip cream the same way.
As soon as she stepped off the elevator and walked through the squad room, she heard her name and a low wolf whistle coming from her longtime friend, making her stop a foot from her office door.
"Heard someone got a little crazy the other night," Fin drawled, feet propped up on his desk and smiling at his old friend. Liv tensed visibly when she heard Carisi stifle a laugh, followed by an audible punch to his arm by Amanda.
"W-what are you talking about?"
Good job playing it cool.
"Too bad I wasn't there to witness it. Almost didn't believe it when I heard about it."
"Heard about what?"
Liv turned, schooling her features into a casual but 'answer-me-or-else' look that was usually only used for suspects who were trying to lie to her face. Except Fin wasn't a suspect and he knew her interrogation tactics like the back of his hand. He knew exactly what she was doing.
"Nothing, Liv," Amanda cut in, tossing a mean glare at the older detective while Carisi looked anywhere but at the Lieutenant.
Liv sighed, tipping her head back, "Whatever happened, because I seriously can't remember half of it, let's just forget about it and move on. All of you saw nothing."
She turned on her heel then, wanting to close herself up in her office and get started on the mountain of paperwork on her desk before Carisi piped up again.
"Hate to break it to you, Lieu…but half the department saw nothing and no one's forgetting about it," he said, trying not to smile when the color drained from her face. Even though his boss was extremely uncomfortable and entirely unaware of her behavior the other night, he was just so happy that something finally happened.
"Please tell me there isn't a video," was the first thing out of Liv's mouth. God, she felt like she was suffocating. The silence and sideways glances answered her question and she groaned when Amanda pulled out her phone.
"If it makes you feel any better, we personally went around to everyone who was recording and made them delete it," Amanda said, being sympathetic to the situation. Honestly, she found it amusing but unsurprising and a little bit disturbing. She hadn't thought Liv could hold that much liquor but looks could be deceiving.
The blonde quickly brought up the video and handed her phone to Liv, the woman looking on nervously at what was playing on the screen. The quality was shaky and the sound, although turned down, was nothing but loud, vibrating music from the bar. If she looked around, she could spot a few of her fellow detectives and officers, laughing and drinking and having a good time ringing in the New Year, but her mortified expression watched the middle of the screen.
"One more and I'm done!"
"That's what you said three shots ago," Barba nearly yelled in her ear, his body pressing against hers in a way she didn't mind whatsoever. The music was so loud she could barely hear herself think and she had to practically scream at the bartender for him to hear what she wanted.
She wasn't used to parties like this, but she had to admit, she was having the time of her life. A night away from cartoons and police work were what she needed, even if she was going to feel it in the morning. None of that mattered though because she was surrounded by friends and her NYPD family.
"Here," Barba said, handing her a shot glass full of whatever liquid they were consuming and they tipped their heads back at the same time. Liv, in her alcohol driven state, tipped back a little too far and Barba wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from sliding off the barstool and onto the wooden floor.
She laughed uncontrollably, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his neck as he joined her, the two practically clinging to each other for support. She pulled back slightly and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on the counselor's cheek before she could stop herself.
"Glad you came out tonight?"
Barba just nodded after returning a half-assed eye roll and she suddenly become extremely aware of the fact that he hadn't bothered to move his arm away from her waist. In fact, he pulled her just a tad bit closer, his hand gripping her waist like it was the only thing anchoring himself to the floor.
Liv felt a flash of heat go down her spine and bit her lip, really liking the way he was staring at her and standing so close, she could smell the alcohol on his breath mixed with the cigarette he was puffing on earlier outside of the pub. It was a very intoxicating smell.
"Well it was either this or sit at home alone in my apartment and watch the ball drop with my briefcase," he said softly, lips inching closer to hers and there was absolutely no way she was going to pull back. She'd thought about this moment happening far too often over the past few years, wondering what it would be like. It made her feel like a silly little teenager with a high school crush, but it was exhilarating at the same time.
She tightened her arms around his neck, one brushing at the hair on the nape of his neck while the other played with the collar of his shirt, "I don't think I've ever seen your apartment."
Barba hmm'd and leaned in further, his nose bumping against hers. Their breath mingled in the space between them, hot and heavy with the scent of whiskey, "I wouldn't mind showing it to you."
And like that, the offer was on the table. In the midst of her arousal and the man shamelessly pressed against her body, she wondered if this was going to be a terrible idea. They were best friends, colleagues. They worked in close quarters and on more than one occasion, their tempers got the best of them, but they always seemed to get right back on track despite all of that. What if they did this and suddenly they couldn't work together anymore?
Would their dynamic be thrown off? What if they couldn't truly handle a situation like this? Dating Tucker had really thrown their relationship in the gutter and it was just getting good again. Whether or not it was because she was no longer seeing Ed, she wasn't sure, but what if this completely destroyed whatever rebuilt foundation they were standing on again?
Liv's mind raced for all of three seconds before she leaned forward and kissed him softly, letting their tongues touch briefly before she pulled away and whispered, "Let's go."
Liv licked her lips and looked away as her and a drunk Barba stumbled out of the screen and out of the bar. She found it odd that she had no recollection of anything that happened in the bar, but she definitely had an idea of what happened after they left…
"Delete it," she said her serious voice, watching the blonde haired detective make quick work of the video. Behind her Fin winked at Carisi with his desk phone to his ear, the two obviously having seen the video before she had. Liv didn't know whether to be mortified that her entire squad witnessed her and Barba kiss and leave the bar together drunk or grateful for the missing piece of this weird puzzle from the other night.
Either way, all she wanted to do was lock herself in her office and drown in paperwork. Eight hours wasn't going to go by fast enough, especially since Barba had invited her and Noah out to dinner tonight as a sort of first date.
She couldn't lie, she was nervous. They had confirmed the fact that they both had feelings for each other and decided on taking it slow, one date at a time. His insistence that Noah take part in this particular endeavor made her heart soar, though. Barba was incredibly uncomfortable around kids and the fact that he was wanting to make an effort to get know her son better made her realize she was making a good decision.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Fin announcing they'd caught a victim who had just woken up from a coma down at Bellevue. Liv immediately slipped back into Lieutenant mode and readily took the lead with Amanda as her second, leaving Fin to hold down the fort while she was gone.
As the two made their way down to the hospital, they passed by the court house and Liv couldn't help but wonder how Barba's day was going and if he was thinking of her, too.