Chapter Text
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Saturday mornings are Lucy’s favorite part of the week. She could sleep in but she likes getting up early, throwing on a sweatshirt and leggings and heading for an early morning hike. This time spent in the morning sun helps her mind decompress from the hectic week.
She’s standing in line at her favorite coffee shop and after she orders her usual, a chai latte with oat milk and a chilled bottled water for later. She closes her eyes and inhales the smell of fresh ground coffee beans. Too bad she doesn’t like coffee but the smell of roasted coffee beans is always something she’s loved. As the barista shuffles around behind the counter preparing her order, she hears the doorbell of the front door jingle and she feels the cool breeze blow in as another customer walks in. She smiles at the feel of the cool air blowing across the top of her bare shoulder which is exposed by her cut off sweatshirt.
Her eyes are closed as she’s enjoying the sensations all around her when she feels a tap on her bare shoulder. Her eyes fly open and she spins around. She’s shocked to find Tim standing behind her.
“Hey, Tim! ” she says as she smiles warmly at him.
“What are you…checking up on me?” she jokes.
Tim smiles back and holds her gaze for a little bit longer than seems necessary.
“So what are you up to…got big plans today?” he asks as he shoves his hands into his jean pockets.
Lucy shrugs and says with a chuckle, “Well, not big plans but yeah, I’ve got a whole day of Lucy approved activities”
“Oh, yeah?” Tim asks with genuine curiosity.
“So what does Lucy’s ideal day look like?” he inquires.
“Well, I’m starting the morning off with a hike at this amazing area I just discovered last week by the nearby lake. Then I’m taking myself to a matinee to watch this movie I’ve been dying to see and later I’ll take myself for a late lunch at this new cafe nearby my house and then I’ll finish it off with a visit to this cozy little bookstore…the perfect day for Lucy” she says with a sweet smile.
“I know..it probably sounds so lame to you…” she rolls her eyes playfully.
“No…not at all,” Tim interrupts.
“It actually sounds amazing…” he says and he holds her gaze again long enough to make Lucy blush and look away.
“...so…what about you? Do you have anything exciting going on today?”
Tim sighs and looks aways. He doesn’t make eye contact with her and then says,
“...not really, just doing some spring cleaning I guess” and then he looks at her intently again and Lucy doesn’t know what comes over her but she feels like he’s hinting at an invite to join her.
So as quickly as the thought enters her mind she blurts out,
“Well, you’re welcome to join me if you want…I mean it’s not the most exciting way to spend a Saturday afternoon but…”
Tim cuts her off and says, “Ok…yeah…that sounds really nice…I mean…if you don’t mind.”
Lucy sucks in a breath as she stares at him, “Really?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind some company today actually…unless that’s weird for you…you know hanging out on your day off with your grumpy TO” he laughs.
“But I’d actually love…I mean like …I’d really like to spend the day with you…I mean…I’d like the company” he says as a pink blush spreads over his chiseled features.
Lucy stares at him and struggles to wrap her mind around what he’s just said to her. She smiles sheepishly and pauses for a moment almost expecting him to backtrack or at least retract what he just said.
I’d really like to spend the day with you .
But he doesn’t. He just looks her in the eye and smiles softly and Lucy suddenly recognizes this Tim.
This is the Tim that came over to her apartment on Valentine’s Day. This is the Tim whose arms were wrapped around her when she woke up that morning.
“Alright…well” she starts to say and the smile suddenly disappears from Tim’s face as he remembers something and he says,
“I just gotta make this quick call first…um. I’ll be right back” he says as he makes his way to his truck.
“Okaay..” Lucy says as Tim makes his way to his truck abruptly.
She looks back as she watches him walk out through cafe doors and she shakes her head in disbelief.
Is this really happening?
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Tim and Lucy spend the early morning hiking in a beautiful location by the lake she mentioned. She stops along the way to tell him the name of certain shrubs and wildflowers and she catches him studying her when she’s not looking. He smiles at her and compliments her vast botanical knowledge of local plants. As they hike down steep areas along the route, Tim instinctively holds her hand and at one point actually carries her across a small creek so she doesn’t wet her tennis shoes. Lucy takes in the smell of his after shave as her arms are wrapped around his neck.
God, he smells good .
The rest of the day is just as lovely as their hike. Tim is extra attentive and sweet to her. He makes her laugh and she finds as the day wears on she’s starting to feel disappointment that their day is coming to an end and Monday morning they’ll be back to their usual TO/Rookie relationship.
Monday morning comes and though all day long Tim treats her with his usual detached professionalism, when the day ends, she finds him waiting for her at the entrance of the underground parking garage and he walks her to her car.
For the next month, this becomes a regular occurrence as Tim walks her to her car every day and she starts noticing that he’s taking longer and longer to say goodbye as he stretches out their conversations by bringing up sometimes the most mundane of topics. Lucy just smiles as she’s charmed anytime Tim acts awkward around her.
One night as she’s settling in to watch the latest episode of “Iron Chef” she’s surprised to get a call from Tim.
He has never called her after work hours before.
He says he’s calling to tell her that she did a great job taking down a 200lb assailant that afternoon. They discuss that for a bit and she can tell he doesn't want their chat to end so she starts asking him questions about his family and soon the hours slip by.
She looks up at the clock in her living room and realizes it’s midnight.
They say their goodbyes but she goes to sleep that night with a smile on her lips as she now knows with certainty Tim is going out of his way to spend time with her.
One afternoon, as Lucy and Tim are having one of their usual afterwork chats in the parking garage, Jackson stumbles upon their interaction and he pauses to observe them from a distance.
Even from several yards away he can clearly see Tim looking at Lucy with a softness and affection in his eyes.
He waits until Tim gets into his truck and drives away and then approaches Lucy.
“So…what was that about?” he asks her.
“Jackson…don’t start with that” Lucy answers but he can see she’s blushing.
“Lucy, the man is smitten . Don’t deny it…I saw the way he was looking at you”
Lucy looks at Jackson and she can’t contain the smile that takes over her face.
“..yeah…ok, I think you’re right…but so am I” she says with a sheepish grin.
Jackson’s eyes widen, he cocks an eyebrow then smirks as he walks away and he calls out to her in a challenging tone,
“...So what are you gonna do about it, Lucy?”
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The following day, Lucy finds herself standing with Tim in front of her car once again. He’s in the middle of a rather uninteresting story about all that day’s tedious paperwork. Her mind is preoccupied and she hasn't listened to a single word he's said, when she abruptly interrupts him and blurts out,
“We should get dinner sometime...” and she stares at him with wide eyes as she holds her breath.
Tim stares at her unblinking and then quickly steps into her personal space and slips his hands around her waist and answers her with a long and soft kiss.
He pulls away for a moment so he can look into her eyes and says,
“You know that day in the coffee shop? I canceled a date to hang out with you”.
Lucy bites her lip and smiles sweetly at him.
He kisses her again, pulling her in closer to him this time and after a few moments they pull apart and he breathes deeply as he says,
“So how much longer until you graduate?”