Chapter Text
“A hug,” Lucy said quietly. After the whirlwind of the last twenty four hours, Lucy felt drained and exhausted. She hadn’t even begun to process the loss of Jackson, she was just numb. And it scared her. She wanted to feel anything, something, then this nothingness. Tim didn’t hesitate to wrap her in his arms and cradle her head to his chest. She felt the warmth through his sweatshirt, could hear his heart beating quickly, and could smell the fresh soap he used after his shower. She had his back in a vice grip, she felt safe in his arms, and wanted to stay like this until she felt like a person again.
It felt like time slowed and the world melted away. All she cared about was being enclosed by his arms, allowing him to fill every corner of her mind. She breathed in only Tim, and felt her pulse quicken at being so close to him. She let out a breath, and felt his catch in his chest as he pulled away abruptly. The hug seemed to have lasted too long and not long enough.
Her gaze took in his exposed collarbone, the scruff on his neck and jaw, and finally landed on his lips. Her heart beat loud and strong in her ears as his hands worked their way down her arms. He seemed determined to look anywhere but her face. She unconsciously moved closer to him, slightly on her tiptoes, eyes still glued to his lower face, the idea of kissing him sprung forward without a warning. She felt his left hand graze back up her arm and suddenly his steel-blue eyes found hers. Her heart skipped a beat, it was like he read her mind and she felt like a deer caught in headlights. She blinked and leaned back slightly, realizing they were too close. She caught him looking at her lips, and heard him take a quick breath. She felt the questions written plain across her face and in her own eyes, feelings she hadn’t even known she had laid out in front of him. He quickly met her eyes, and she noticed they looked as confused as she felt. She was overwhelmed with new feelings, she couldn’t think straight. He whispered a quick good night without meeting her eyes again. She tried to catch them one last time, feeling that something was brewing underneath that she couldn’t name, but he was not giving her the satisfaction. She could only say “night” before he left her, grazing her shoulder with his.
Her heart was beating too quickly, her head felt like it was wading through mud as she tried to make sense of all that just had occurred. She walked to the couch he had set up for her and got underneath the covers. She was staring at the ceiling, but was only thinking of Tim and the hug. She thought back over the last few days, from coming to rescue her to asking her to save him a dance at the wedding. Her mind flashed to when he pulled her over, and flirting with him came much easier than she thought. She remembered being ecstatic when he came rushing into the hanger with Harper and teased that he thought she needed help. She felt light on her feet when he said she did good taking down two gangs, his smile warming her. And now, offering her his place as a safe haven for her when he knew she needed it the most. She looked towards the hall, wondering what he was thinking at this very moment. Lucy felt conflicted, she was devastated at losing Jackson, but somehow in that vast sea of sadness, she felt that she needed to be near TIm. Wanted to be near him because he made the darkness fade and made her feel alive and present. It was a better option than the dark sea of devastation that threatened her at all sides. She just wanted to forget about every bad thing that had happened since the wedding, and Tim’s arms offered her that. She didn’t want to think too much about the implications of wanting to be in Tim’s arms, that maybe this wasn’t a sudden realization as much as a feeling she beat down inside her since he recovered from the bioweapon attack. Feelings that would’ve been inappropriate to even entertain while he was her teacher.
But now, they were equals, no longer in a teacher and student dynamic, things could be different. She sat up and threw the covers off at that train of thought. She stopped it there, she didn’t want to think past tonight. She just wanted to knock on his door and climb back into his arms, and let whatever else happen, happen. She’d deal with the consequences tomorrow, or after they got Angela back, or never. She didn’t care, her best friend was dead and she wanted Tim badly. She stood up just as his door opened, and she scrambled back onto the couch. For a second, she thought he was about to do exactly what she wanted, but then she heard him on the phone. He rounded the corner quickly and told her that Wesley had Angela’s location.
All thoughts of Tim flew from her mind, as she jumped off the couch to change clothes. Saving their friend came above all else, so Lucy pushed down on her emotions and feelings, deciding to deal with those another day.