Work Text:
I'll be honest (honest)
Lookin' at you got me thinkin' nonsense
Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in (when you walk in)
When you got your arms around me
Ooh, it feels so good I had to hit the octave
I think I got an ex but I forgot him
And I can't find my chill, I must have lost it
I don't even know I'm talkin' nonsense (oh)
I'm talkin', I'm talkin', I'm talkin'
The first time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress it feels illegal.
He’s not even supposed to be here. But he’s freshly divorced and moody and Angela told him that he’s coming along for drinks like it or not. She’s not above making Harper kidnap him. At least that’s what she’s been threatening all day. Tim knows a losing battle when he sees one. So when their shift ends he showers and follows her to the bar where everyone else is at. Plus, it’s one drink. How much damage can one drink do?
The short answer is too fucking much.
He’s not prepared for the tight black fabric wrapping around her body like a glove. Lucy is a beautiful woman, he’s always known that. He compartmentalised, though. He can admire her beauty and recognise she’s his trainee and therefore needs to be treated with respect. Those are all thoughts sober TO Tim Bradford has in his head. He’s a man of honour and code who likes to follow the rules.
On his second drink Tim allows his eyes to linger on the sliver of flesh the slit on her right leg reveals. Her naked skin comes into view for the briefest second before she adjusts her skirt again. There’s a small voice inside his head reminding him she’s his rookie. Tim is only a man, though. A freshly single man and Lucy is laughing opposite him, resting her arm across the back of the booth, open and happy. He gets a third drink and prays no one is paying attention to how he’s checking her out.
And if later he falls asleep to thoughts of getting Lucy Chen out of her little black dress no one needs to know.
So cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know, oh
The second time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress it’s right after her first undercover mission.
Her hair is curled and her lips are painted a bloody red and Tim forgets to breathe for a second. They are friends, or at least he thinks so. They’ve been partners long enough for her to break down every single defence he’s ever had in place with his previous rookies. She goes toe to toe with him, calls him out on all his bullshit. He pranks her and she gives it right back ten times worse. She’s passed every single Tim Test he threw her way and then some.
He’ll never admit it out loud to her but he’s mighty proud of her for bringing down Salonga all by herself. Grey sings her praises after the mission is wrapped up and Tim downright preens. Because she’s proving to everyone that she’s not just a pretty face. She’s an exceptional cop and has a long career ahead of her. The green dress flares around her as she makes her way towards him. Tim tries not to be obvious about it. He teases her and she teases back and the words are out of his mouth before he can stop them.
“Hey, Chen,” Tim feels time stop as she turns to face him again. “Save me a dance,” He says and she smiles.
In retrospect, he should have noticed the universe shifting.
Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh
We can follow the sparks, I'll drive
Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh
We can follow the sparks, I'll drive
So where are we gonna go?
I whisper in the dark
Where are we gonna go?
I think he knows
The third time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress he should be prepared but he’s not.
He’s not prepared for her exposed back or how well it hugs her body. He’s not prepared for how nicely she fits in his arms. Neither is he prepared for how his heart tries to escape his chest when she laughs as he spins her around. She giggles and leans into him and Tim loses his mind a little. Because he’s with Ashley, she’s with Chris and really they shouldn’t be here.
But they’re and it feels right.
It feels right .
It feels like the rightest thing he's ever done in his entire life. So Tim spins her around again and again, pulls her body closer to his. Lucy lets him, burying her face against his chest laughing and the dancefloor is full but all he can see is Lucy Chen and her bright smile. All he can hear is Lucy Chen and her excited laughter. All he can feel is her body melting perfectly against his.
And Timothy Bradford? He’s in real fucking trouble.
I was supposed to sweat you out
In search of glorious happenings of happenstance on someone else's playground
But it's been two thousand one hundred and 90 days of our love blackout
The system's breaking down (the system's breaking down)
The fourth time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress he feels like he’s going a little crazy.
He doesn’t know which God schemed in his favour but he’s not going to question it. Because she broke up with Chris and she agreed to go on a date with him and Tim is on cloud fucking nine. And then… and then she has the audacity to show up in a dress that looks like it’s been stitched on her body. He feels like if he wishes a bit too hard the fabric will fall apart and he’ll be graced with an image that he’s only seen in his dreams.
Tim digs his nails into his palms and wills his body to behave. He’s serious about this, he’s serious about her . This needs to work, he needs to show her that she means way more than just a warm body to him. He hasn’t felt like this for anyone since Isabel and even back then it wasn’t this intense. It wasn’t this deep and scary. It didn’t feel like the air left his lungs with every breath she took. The setting is familiar and new all the same. He pushes and she pulls and it’s a dance they both know well.
“Why is this so weird?” She asks and he tries to come up with a good explanation. “We’ve eaten together literally hundreds of times.” A nervous giggle escapes her lips and Tim really tries to focus but it’s fucking hard. She looks gorgeous and he’s only a man. His brain can’t keep up an interesting conversation while trying not to die because she’s here with him . Out of everyone she could have, she chose him .
“Because,” He shrugs, “Our other meals only held the promise of being shot at afterwards, not naked time.” The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them and she cocks her head to the side, raising an eyebrow.
“Naked time?” She prompts, smirking and he panics for the longest second, squirming in his seat because he clearly fucked up. She’s going to rethink her decision, get up and leave him here alone.
Then she’s laughing and he remembers how to breathe again.
Flashback when you met me
Your buzzcut and my hair bleached
Even in my worst times, you could see the best in me
Flashback to my mistakes
My rebounds, my earthquakes
Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth in me
The fifth time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress she’s coming home with him.
They agreed to get ready separately mainly because he knows he wouldn’t let her leave the house otherwise. Not when he knows what she looks like without the silk wrapped around her body. What every single inch of her skin tastes like. They’ve been a thing for a while, sleeping together and he knows his hunger for her should have been satisfied by now. This is how it’s been with every other relationship he’s had.
Not Lucy, though.
Never with Lucy .
If anything he wants her more. He needs her more.
Always.
Forever .
He feels like his soul will be looking for her in every single lifetime after this one too. Will be looking for the way she’s touching him. The way she’s talking to him. For her laughs and smiles. They fight like any couple does but no matter what, they always come back to each other. Nolan’s wedding is lovely even though Tim doesn’t pay any attention. He only has eyes for Lucy and how gorgeous she looks. She’s been teasing him the entire night, with feather-like touches and chaste kisses. And Tim…
Mr. No PDA.
Mr. People are watching.
Mr. We need to be professional.
Absolutely let’s her. Because he belongs to her - body, mind and soul, to do as she pleases. When she grabs his hand and whisks him away from the crowd Tim follows without a word. Lucy pushes him in a dark room and he goes willingly. He doesn't question her when she tells him to sit down on an armchair, nor when she climbs on his lap. Lucy pulls him in a deep kiss, and his hands bunch the skirt of her dress up. His fingers meet naked flesh and he groans into the kiss.
“Babe,” He sounds like he’s begging and he’s fine with it.
“I want you,” She says as she pulls the sleeves of her dress down and the lace covering her breasts comes into view.
Tim could die a happy man, right here, right now.
And I'll tell you one thing, honey
I can take the upper hand and touch your body
Flip the script and leave you like a dumb house party
Or I might just love you 'til the end
The sixth time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress he’s pretty sure he’s lost her.
There’s a theme here, he can tell. A silly story for the grandchildren as they used to joke. Those stories are no longer funny, though. Because he was stupid and walked away. Because Tim got too lost in his own head and left her all alone in that god forsaken parking lot. The one he has to walk through every day and relive his own stupidity.
He wasn’t lying when he promised her small doses. He will do anything starting by fixing himself. Therapy has done a lot since the break up. It has mainly helped him realise where he went wrong and how to fix it. At least the part he’s responsible for because one thing his therapist insists on is that you are only responsible for yourself. You can’t just make decisions for everyone else. Tim can see now why he blew them up the way he did.
Genny talks him into being his plus one for the gala. The plan is to be back home by eleven. Kojo is staying with his dog sitter so he’ll have the entire morning to rest before going into work. He’ll wake up by six, get a good workout in, have breakfast and then spend twelve hours keeping idiots out of jails. That’s how the night is supposed to go. Until she greets them.
Lucy looks beautiful no matter what. Whether she’s in uniform, her normal clothes or her favourite pair of worn out pyjamas. Early in the morning or when she’s all dressed up. She’s the most stunning woman he’s ever seen. He’s not stupid enough to think the black silk wrapping around her body is for his eyes only. Tim no longer has the right to that. He’ll still look, though.
He’ll still take the time to admire the way the dress has been clinging to her curves. He’ll wonder what she’s wearing underneath. Is it any of the lingerie sets he bought her? Did she buy something new he won’t get to see? These thoughts torture him the entire night. His penance is interrupted by the asshole trying to be a drunk smartass in a room full of cops.
Tim is fine with it when it lands him in the same hotel room as Lucy. He doesn’t haven’t any expectations going in. It’s enough he gets to have a few minutes alone with her. Tim will learn to be happy with it if this is all she can offer. He doesn’t care how, he just wants Lucy in his life. But then she’s pulling him in for a kiss and he’s lost.
All he feels is her lips against his. All he hears is her soft voice breathing content sighs as he trails kisses down her neck. So he closes his eyes and lets her guide him to the bed. The knot keeping her dress together comes undone and Tim is in heaven. She’s wearing his favourite lingerie set. All black lace and bows that barely keep the fabric together. When she pulls him on top of her he doesn’t question it. He knows he should stop. He knows he should ask her, remind her that they’re broken up - make sure she won’t regret it tomorrow. Tim is selfish, though, so instead he lets her take whatever she needs from him.
He’ll be happy with anything she gives him. Even if it’s just stolen moments.
All of the girls you loved before (Ooh)
Made you the one I've fallen for
Every dead-end street (Dead-end street) led you straight to me (Straight to me)
Now you're all I need (All I need), I'm so thankful for
All of the girls you loved before
But I love you more
The seventh time Tim sees Lucy Chen in a dress she’s his.
To have and to hold. To cherish forever. To share his bed, his house, his morning coffee with. The time they spent apart seems like a distant memory now. One he swore to never forget, though. Because it brought them where they are. Through all the pain and the tears it led them to this very moment. To watching Lucy making her way to him, wearing the most beautiful dress he’s seen on her so far.
It’s in the style she’s preferred the entire time he’s known her. The bell sleeves are almost touching the floor, making her look ethereal. Tim cannot take his eyes off of her, his entire world has sized down to Lucy and Lucy alone. Angela is gently nudging him but he cannot spare her a single second. He needs this memory to burn into his brain for as long as he’s alive and even long after he’s gone. He’s so lucky she decided to give him a second chance, that she decided that he’s worth the risk even though he almost ruined them. Tim does not plan on letting her down ever again.
“Hi,” She smiles when she stops before him and he doesn’t realise he’s crying until she reaches up to wipe away his tears.
“Hi,” He replies, laughing softly as he takes her hand and brings it to his lips. He drops a kiss to the finger her wedding ring will go on in a few minutes.
Tim gets to see Lucy Chen in her wedding dress and every dress she wears after this for the rest of their lives.