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Hi y'all!! I actually can't believe I'm actually posting my FIRST EVER Chenford one shot!! I absolutely adore this couple and honestly, I was over the fricking moon when they officially became canon, because it's ABOUT DAMN TIME. xD. Anyway, I decided to write a really soft, fluffy prompt, because I love domestic Chenford and think we could all do with those!!! Hope y'all enjoy!
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“Did you get the tomatoes?" Tim peers into their shopping cart as Lucy double checks their list.
"I thought you were supposed to get them when you went to get the eggs.”
“No, I said I would get the milk with the eggs, and you were supposed to get the tomatoes with the cilantro.” Tim rolls his eyes, Bradford style. "How are we supposed to make pasta sauce if we don't have the tomatoes?"
“Don’t you remember the last time I sent you to get stuff to make lasagne for dinner and you came back with everything, except the lasagne noodles?”
“Oh, so now it’s somehow my fault that you forgot the tomatoes?” he asks, lips twitching as she edges closer.
“It’s always your fault,” She teases him softly as he smiles down at her.
Lucy grins at her boyfriend as he takes a quick look to make sure they're alone in the aisle before leaning in for a kiss. She loves moments like this, when they're doing the most ordinary things like grocery shopping or snuggling up watching Doctor Who with Kojo curled up beside them and how he manages to make even the most mundane of activities romantic.
"You know," she says huskily, as he reluctantly ends the kiss, "It is Saturday, and Tam's going back to campus after dinner, so I was thinking maybe after she leaves, you and I could...you know?" She raises her eyebrows suggestively, inviting him to fill in the blanks.
Tim's brows knit together in mock confusion "No, I don't know. Watch football?"
She rolls her eyes at his teasing but plays along. "No, not football."
"Binge Top Chef?"
"Nope."
"Oh, I get it." His voice drops to a sexy whisper "Laundry, right? You did mention you were running out of clean clothes."
"I will have you know that I have a system for my laundry so that I never run out of clean clothes," Lucy rebuffs as she reaches past his tall frame to grab a jar of oregano, deliberately letting her arm brush against his and her hair tickle his nose. You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeve, dude, she thinks smugly, as she hears his breath hitch ever so slightly.
"Ugh, get a room." Tamara's amused voice interrupts their blissful reverie as she places a bag of tomatoes in their cart. "While you two were busy arguing over who was supposed to get tomatoes, you forgot you sent me to get them. I swear, every chance you two get to be alone, you're either making out or undressing one another with your eyes. You're worse than some of the students I see on campus, people who are half your age, might I add."
Tim scoffs "No we're not. I just happen to like kissing my girlfriend."
Lucy's cheeks warm at the mention of the word girlfriend. Sometimes she still can't believe she and Tim are actually together. As always, her mind immediately flashes back to that fateful day in the briefing room when her eyes locked with his for the first time. She remembers how his arms were crossed, his jaw set and that trademark Bradford frown on his forehead as he took in his new rookie. She remembers the first day nerves being overtaken by a strange pull of attraction, much to her chagrin. How much had changed between that moment and now, as she studied the twinkle in his eyes and the smile creases around his mouth.
God, how she loved his smile.
She realised early on, even as his rookie, how much she liked making him smile when she teased him. Initially, the teasing and pranking was a way for her to cope with his many Tim tests and his toughness. However, the first time she saw him smirk, she felt an undeniable flash of pride. Since then, she had made it a mission to always try and make him laugh. No matter how tough he was on her, she knew that it was his way of coping. Trying to throw himself into work and being a good cop because the other parts of his life were a mess. She saw the pain he was in, the deep sadness that never seemed to leave his eyes. But whenever he smirked at something she said or gave her a look of grudging admiration when he fell victim to her pranks, the sadness left his eyes. Even if it was just for a minute. And she vowed to herself that she would eventually get a full smile out of him one day.
But even after spending the last two years working with him, she was completely unprepared the first time he turned his smile on her full force. When he asked her out to dinner.
She remembered how weak her knees got. And even though they'd been together for several months now, his smile still made her dizzy. Even at work, she'd sometimes catch him looking at her with that special look he reserved only for her as he passed by her desk or alone in the break room, and it made her insides gooey.
And she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him in her life.
To wake up with him in her bed, have their coffee and savour the quiet moments they had in the morning before they headed out to work. To grab a quick bite to eat by the food trucks for lunch and be subjected to Grey’s knowing smile, Angela’s and Nyla's smirks and remarks every time. And at the end of a long day out on patrol, she knew if she came back earlier than he did, he would join her for dinner together before they cuddled on the couch, watching Top Chef, or trashy reality TV as they relived their day together and told the other what went on at work with her on patrol and him at Metro. Sometimes they would wake up in the middle of the night after realising they’d both fallen asleep on the couch, but they couldn’t be bothered to go to bed, so they’d end up falling back asleep again.
Weekends were the best though. The long, lazy good morning kisses that always led to amazing sex that left them both breathless, morning hikes with Kojo, pancakes for breakfast if Tamara was home for the weekend. Sometimes he would quiz her as she studied for the detective’s exam, although every study session they’d had together so far had inevitably ended with a makeout session on the couch, not that Lucy was complaining.
She was hopelessly in love with him. Even though they had yet to tell one another those words, she knew it and had acknowledged it to herself that she did. Every minute of every day with him was a gift, and she treasured it, and she never wanted to spend the rest of her life without him. And she knew in her heart that he did as well. The man took a desk job for her barely a month after they’d started dating, he put up with her obsession for Real Housewives and most of all, he’d accepted Tamara as part of their little family. She loved how he went from teasing her about adopting Tam as her puppy to the teen now becoming a little sister figure for him as well. Watching the two of them argue over which types of pasta were better, her heart gave a weird beat of joy.
This was her family. Her, her sweet boyfriend, their annoyingly endearing little sister, and their dog, they were a family. And God, how she loved them.
"Earth to Lucy," She starts out of her thoughts and sees Tamara grinning at her. "Daydreaming about your boyfriend again?"
"No," Lucy huffs in denial, but she knew it was pointless to lie to Tam. That girl saw EVERYTHING. She would make an excellent detective one day.
“I was telling Tim that rigatoni was the best pasta shape because the sauce clings to it more, but he thinks it’s fusilli, for some reason.” Tamara shudders “Have you seen fusilli? It can barely hold its shape.”
“You just don’t know how to cook it, that’s all.” Tim shoots back.
“Okay then,” Tamara raises a brow in challenge. “Cooking challenge?”
Tim leans forward, ready to accept “What’re you thinking?”
“Rigatoni vs fusilli. We both cook our own dishes, and Lucy gets to be the judge.”
“What does the winner get?”
“If you win, I’ll do all the dishes after dinner,” Tam says “If I win…. you have to let me blast my playlist at full volume when you drive me back to campus.”
“Deal.” Tim sticks out his hand and Tamara shakes it. He turns to Lucy “What else do we need?”
“Um…” her eyes scan the list, lips pursed in that adorable way she does when she’s deep in thought. “We’ve got most of our stuff, anything else you need Tam?”
The teenager peers into their cart. “Ice cream.”
Lucy rolls her eyes affectionately. “Why am I not surprised? Oh babe, I think I forgot to get the Colombian roast you like?” turning to her boyfriend.
Tim looks at her in surprise “You don’t drink that.”
“I know, but I’ve started keeping a supply for you at my place. You’d be a total grump at work without your coffee.”
He grins down at her “You know me so well.”
She winks playfully at him “Too well.” The familiar phrase hangs between them as he looks at her with that soft look on his face.
“Guys, seriously, y’all need to dial down the PDA.” Tamara huffs. “For crying out loud, we’re in public. Tim, will you stop making that face?”
Tim scowls at her “I don’t make a face.”
“Dude, you SO make a face when you look at Lucy,” Tam rolled her eyes at him. “It’s the same one Kojo makes when he wants an extra treat. You look like Dopey from Snow White. "
Tim's face turns tomato red as Lucy giggles under her breath. "I do NOT."
"Oh, no?" Tamara raises a brow as she takes out her phone. "Exhibit A. May 16th, 2021, Angela's wedding. Just before you asked Lucy for a dance. Your tongue was practically falling out of your mouth when you saw her. 18 months before you were a couple, and you were staring at her like your eyeballs were about to pop outta their sockets. I saw that look from the other side of the courtyard and knew I had to take a photo of it." She turns her phone round and sure enough, there it was. That fateful moment, both staring at one another with hope and adoration written all over their faces, him looking exceedingly handsome in that tux, her in that green dress. Even in the photo, Lucy could see that she was blushing. It was so unlike the strait-laced sergeant Lucy knew, impulsively asking for a dance and cautiously flirting with her, but she still remembered the thrill that shot up her toes when he did.
Tamara shakes her head fondly as she glances at the photo. "I had only known you guys less than six months when I took this, but man, was I shipping the hell out of you both. Just look at you. Hopeless idiots in love since day one."
Tim looks at her, eyes narrowed as they head into the frozen food section. "Exactly how many photos have you taken of me and Lucy without us realising?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Tamara answers pertly as she peruses the ice cream flavours on display. "Enough for me to make a whole PowerPoint presentation to play at your wedding, that's how many."
"Tamara!"
"What?" Tamara raises her brows as she takes in Tim and Lucy's faces, both wearing bug eyed looks of surprise. "I'm not saying you guys have to get married now, obviously, but come on. You will get married eventually, and don't you two deny it," pointing a finger aggressively at them to squash any denial coming out their mouths. "Doesn't matter if it's two years from now, or five, or even next year. You guys are gonna get hitched at some point, because there's no way you'll be stupid enough to break up now that you're together, cause God knows you've been through too much. And when you do finally decide to make it official, there will be a PowerPoint playing at your wedding filled with alllll the pictures of you two I can get my hands on. And this isn’t even the half of it. Angela’s and Nyla have got their fair share of photos of you two as well. "
“How does Harper have photos of me?” Tim demands.
“She has her ways.” Tamara shrugs. “She says she’ll only use it as blackmail to shut you up if you get all smart with her, so I’d be careful if I were you.”
Tim crosses his arms as he scowls at her. “Taking photos without someone’s consent can be classed as a crime you know.”
“Not when you’re in a public place,” Tamara shoots back. “If you can’t stop staring at your girlfriend like an idiot in broad daylight, that’s on you. However,” as she places a tub of pistachio ice cream in their cart, “If you admit that rigatoni is the better pasta and concede defeat before I obliterate you, perhaps I’ll give you the photos.” she says cheekily.
Tim shakes his head as they head to the checkout. “Not a chance, kiddo. We’re gonna head home and I’m gonna kick your butt in this challenge.”
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"Hey."
Lucy looks up from the dishwasher as she puts in a load of dishes and sees Tim enter the apartment. "Hey. Tam got back okay?"
"Yeah, I dropped her off, but not before I endured 20 minutes of her playlist at full volume. God, what are kids listening to nowadays? She’s got a whole playlist of Korean pop stars and rappers cursing enough to make even the guys we have in prison blush.”
Lucy chuckles as she finishes loading the machine. “You can be such a boomer sometimes.”
“Still can’t believe you chose her dish though. Mine was clearly better.”
“You didn’t put enough salt in babe. Rules are rules.” She winks at him.
“In your case it’s favouritism.”
She laughs as she shuts the door and sets the timer. “Hey, I did the rest of the dishes for you, so you’re welcome.” He leans against the counter but doesn't reply to her retort.
“You okay?” she looks at him.
He shrugs “Fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I am,” he huffs, like a ten-year-old.
She raises her brows.
“You’ve clearly got something on your mind. What is it?” she asks quietly, reaching over to brush a piece of lint off his shirt, but really, she was just looking for an excuse to touch him.
“Promise you won’t get upset?” he asks quietly.
Lucy frowns slightly. “Of course.”
“What Tamara said earlier…about us getting married one day?” Tim lifts his brows at her “What do you think of that?”
Lucy starts a little “You knew she was kidding, right?”
“Yeah, but to be honest, she does have a point,” Tim hesitates slightly before coming to closing the gap between them, “I’m not saying marriage is on my cards now, especially after Isabel and everything-”
“Babe, I get it,” Lucy interrupts, placing a hand on his chest, rubbing her thumb over it gently. “We’re both not in the right headspace to consider marriage, especially with our careers, and we’ve not even been dating that long. There’s no pressure at all.”
“But that’s what I’m trying to say,” Tim covers her fingers with his. “We’re not looking to get married right now, but eventually I think I will want to.”
Lucy stares at him. “You’re serious?”.
“I do see a future with you.” He clutches her fingers tightly. “I mean, Luce, we’ve already spoken about kids. We’ve been through hell and back together. And it may be months, or even a year or two before we consider it seriously. I won’t push you or anything till we’re both ready but I’m not letting you out of my life.”
She smiles, her joy bubbling up in her. “You couldn’t get rid of me that easily anyway,” as she reaches up to kiss him deeply, pouring every ounce of her love for him into it. “And for the record, I’m never letting you go either.”
He laughs softly against her lips before he deepens the kiss, his tongue pushing into her mouth, and the familiar jelly-like feeling pools in her knees. She brushes her nose against his as he breaks apart, breathing him in.
“So, does this mean we’ll be arguing every day when we eventually do get married? Since that’s what married people do.” He asks, his forehead against hers.
"Oh yeah. Especially since we're both so good at arguing," she tells him softly, nipping his lip gently.
“I think there’s other things we’re good as well.”
“Oh really?” she smiles against his lips. “Do you mean paintball?”
“No.” he kisses her ear, and she shivers in delight.
“Um, cooking then?”
“Well, yes, but not what I was talking about either.” He grins down at her in that sexy way of his.
“Hmmm,” she feigns confusion as she loops her arms round his neck and pulls him in for another kiss. “You’re probably gonna have to show me then.”
He quietly groans into her mouth. “How long do we have till that machine finishes?”
“Forty-five minutes.”
“That’s not a lot of time,” he whispers, his hands doing deliciously wicked things under her sweater.
“It’s not?” her fingers slip beneath the waistband of his jeans as they back into her room.
“For the things I’ve got in mind? Not really.”
“Just guess we’ll have to find out, won’t we?” she moans as his fingers dip lower and her eyes roll into the back of her head.
“I guess we’ll have to.”