Work Text:
2:25am
Lucy couldn’t sleep.
She couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned for hours but nothing. Every time she closed her eyes—The fire. The way the smoke had burned her lungs, the heat licking at their skin. The way Tim had looked at her, his voice raw and desperate when he said-
Of course I still love you
She hadn’t said it back.
Not because she didn’t feel it. God, she felt it. But because she was terrified.
Terrified that if she let herself believe in this—in them—he’d walk away again.
But the longer she sat there, the more she realized she couldn’t stay silent. Not anymore.
She threw her blanket aside and get up quickly. She pulls on her leggings and throws on a hoodie. She wasn’t thinking when she grabbed her keys, wasn’t thinking as she drove through the empty streets. All she knew was that she couldn’t sit in her apartment for another second, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment—the fire, his confession—over and over again.
So she found herself at his door, pulse thrumming in her ears as she knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and there he was.
Disheveled. Exhausted. His gray hoodie hung loose on his frame, his face shadowed with sleeplessness. His eyes flickered with something unreadable when he saw her.
“Lucy.” His voice was rough, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to say her name anymore.
She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. He let her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence pressed between them, thick with everything left unsaid.
Then, finally, Lucy broke it.
“You don’t get to do this,” she said, voice quiet but firm.
Tim exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. “Lucy—”
“No.” She shook her head. “You don’t get to tell me you still love me when we’re trapped in a fire, when you think we might not make it out—” Her voice cracked, but she pushed forward. “You broke up with me because you thought you were protecting me. Because you’re struggling. I get that, Tim. But did you ever stop to think about what you leaving did to me?” Her voice cracked, but she kept going. “I have spent months trying to convince myself that you didn’t love me anymore, that it was better this way. And then you go and tell me the truth—” She let out a shaky breath. “How am I supposed to just walk away from that?”
Tim’s jaw tensed. “I meant what I said.”
“Then why am I standing here? Why did you leave me?” Her voice wavered, but she refused to back down. “You broke up with me to protect me, right? Because you didn’t want to drag me into your mess. But, Tim—” She let out a shaky breath. “You never had to go through this alone.”
He looked away, hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Lucy let out a bitter laugh. “Well, congratulations, you did. You broke my heart, Tim.” Lucy swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I know you’re trying, that you’re going to therapy, and I’m proud of you for that. But you don’t just get to decide that I’m better off without you. That’s not your call to make.”
His eyes were glassy now, filled with all the emotions he’d been holding back. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. “I don’t want to drag you down with me, Luce.”
“You’re not dragging me anywhere. I choose you, Tim. Even when it’s messy. Even when it’s hard.”
For a long moment, he just looked at her—like he was memorizing every detail, every piece of her that had been holding him together even when he tried to let go. Then, with a shaky exhale, he squeezed her hand.
“I don’t want to lose you,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
she pushes forward. “I spent months trying to convince myself I was okay, that maybe you were right. That maybe I was better off without you.” She shook her head. “But then we almost died, and you told me you still loved me, and suddenly, none of it made sense anymore.”
“I never wanted to hurt you.” He repeats again
“But you did.” Her voice cracked. “And now I don’t know how to trust that you won’t do it again.”
He exhaled, his own walls starting to crack. “I know I messed up. I know I hurt you. And I hate myself for that.” His voice was thick with emotion. “But I’m trying, Lucy. I’m in therapy. I’m working on myself. Because I don’t want to be the guy who walks away from the best thing in his life anymore.” He looks at her with tears in his eyes. “I said you deserved better” he paused for a minute before continuing “I want to be the guy you deserve”
Her breath hitched. “Then prove it, small doses, right?”
“Yeah, small doses” Tim took a shaky step closer, his blue eyes searching hers. “I don’t expect you to believe me right away. But I meant what I said, Lucy. I love you. And I’m not walking away again.”
She studied him, every inch of her aching to believe him. To let herself fall again.
And maybe… just maybe… she would.
But not yet.
“Then don’t just tell me,” she whispered. “Show me.”
Tim nodded, something like determination settling in his expression.
And for the first time in weeks, she let herself hope.