#lilly rush

When Scotty tells Lilly that Christina’s hooked on pills, he instantly tries to mend bridges. Like, “You saw Chris, she was totally on pills”, trying to avoid telling her he’d seen Christina alone prior to Lilly’s run-in, and when that fails, he instantly throws out how it was Chris who called him, not the other way around, like it’ll absolve him from Lilly’s fury. When she erupts, he comments, “What the hell was I supposed to say, Lil? After what happened last time?”

Considering Chris was just on the lam last time, he can only mean Lilly’s reaction, and how she surgically sliced him out of her life and avoided his existence on the job.

Naturally, Lilly comes out swinging and attacks him with questions on him and Chris, and Scotty deflects to her and Chris’s relationship, trying to keep things things rational. But it’s Lilly, and she doesn’t do rational with Christina. She does guarded, chewing out and cutting ties when it comes to Christina. It’s an interesting exchange until Lilly once more tries to storm off, so Scotty:

Scotty has NO REASON to bring up the FBI offer in the middle of this argument. It has nothing to do with him and Chris or Lilly and Chris, but given that Lilly has this new out and seems keen to once more ice him out, it’s like his heart and annoyance got the better of his tongue. They had to know if she’s going to take the job and leave, and he tacks on a painful finish on forgetting Chris, but only after saying “you can forget about us”, which yes, likely means the whole team—BUT ALSO HIM AND HER!

BUT ALSO HIM AND HER! Valens x Rush.

Then there's THIS.

This GIF has WRECKED me. The implications, the emotions, the gulp. THAT MOTHERFUCKING GULP, the ‘what the fuck did I just do/say(?) kinda GULP, the ‘did I really just reveal everything(?) kinda GULP. The 'pray to God she doesn't see the truth' KINDA GULP.

Lilly, for her part, is totally bewildered. She has no idea where that came from, and Scotty gulps—and destroys my shipper heart—and turns it back to Chris and Lilly. Lilly once again asks: Why didn’t you just tell me?

It’s a really simple question with a simple answer in her mind, but in his mind, it could be a time bomb. He evaded and tried to eradicate any whisper of implication that he and Chris were happily in the same space together, because he can't risk a repeat of their history with a federal badge offer extended to her that could send her out of his life for potentially ever.

They’ve grown together so much, as partners and friends for seven years, they have an understanding. They always have each other’s backs without a second thought or concern for the risks. They’re bonded after seven years of closing cases, laughter, trauma, and coffees. It’s not a leap to say Lilly’s Scotty’s most stable and consistent non-blood relationship, and in nine of ten situations, Scotty always looks at Lilly for her reaction, and if Lilly is in duress or having an issue, Stillman looks AT SCOTTY to see how he's processing it, (e.g. George Marks bringing up Lilly's report). Moreover, Christina herself cannonically says, Scotty’s the closest person to Lilly, and he knows her best after being away from both Lilly and Scotty for YEARS.

It’s beyond evident that they depend on each other, and Scotty has now revealed that he absolutely hates the FBI offer. He’s teary-eyed and flush long before mentioning his family troubles, and he obviously isn’t coping with the mere idea of Lilly being gone. Which so isn’t friend behavior! Being sad that your best friend’s possibly moving away and might eventually fade from your life is valid, but a friend would be proud of her career progression and happy that she’s been given such an opportunity. Especially since Lilly lives and breathes the damn job!

Like, this is so Rizzles. I’m not a shipper of them, but I can totally see it. Especially when Maura’s the only outside person to be asked how she feels about Jane accepting the position as an FBI instructor. She’s teary and struggling, and they literally cannot let each other go. Jane takes a leave to spend time in Paris with Maura, because 🌈just bestie things🌈.

Also how unnecessary *but adorable* was Scotty with his jealousy/pickiness with Eddie Saccardo, e.g. dissing his footwear like a preteen girl who hates that her crush has a crush on someone else and needs to destroy something—or all things—about the crush’s crush. C’mon, writers, who thought that spiffy dialogue was tots norm between friends? It stands out, especially when Scotty was chill with Joseph, supportive even and had jokes for the man. He was okay with Kite—who I personally view as a trashcan—and poked fun at Lilly any chance he could like a pest. But Eddie Timberland Saccardo? Sardonic remarks and scoffing commentary all around, because Scotty wanted to be the man to make her smile and laugh like that.

In conclusion / I love Stealing Home / Scotty’s totally in love with Lilly.