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It shouldn’t bother him the way it does.
The boxes that once fueled his anxiety are broken down, stacked neatly by the curb to be picked up for recycling. The art that littered the floor now brightens up every room in his house. And, most importantly, Lucy is safe in his arms, her head resting over his heart, her chest rising and falling steadily while Kojo snores on her other side.
It shouldn’t bother him.
And yet, it eats at him, the same way the boxes did this morning, and he knows he's not going to be able to sleep until they talk about it.
“Lucy,” he whispers. He’s pretty sure she’s not all the way asleep yet, her breathing not quite as steady and slow in the way it usually is when she sleeps.
Lucy shifts a bit in his arms and makes a little grunting noise that Tim finds downright adorable.
“Lucy,” he tries again, this time poking at the one particularly ticklish spot on her side he'd discovered when they first started dating.
She lifts her chin this time, her face close enough that even in the dark he can make out the way she blinks up at him blearily. “Wassit?”
Oh. Maybe she was asleep.
Well, it’s too late now.
“Were you talking to me or Kojo?”
Lucy just blinks at him. “Huh?”
“When you came home today. I said 'hi' and you said ‘hey, honey.’ Were you saying it to me or Kojo?”
Lucy shakes her head, clearing it of the remnants of sleep, then props herself up on Tim’s chest. “I’m sorry, you woke me up to ask if I called you or the dog ‘honey?’”
Tim huffs. “Well when you say it like that it sounds crazy.”
Lucy just groans and buries her face in Tim’s chest. “I can’t believe you woke me up because you’re jealous of the dog.”
“I’m not jealous. And you still haven’t answered the question.” Kojo’s also woken up now. The dog’s ears are perked up and Tim’s pretty sure he’s waiting to hear her answer too.
“Tim, this is ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous is a strong word. You said it in the high pitched voice you use sometimes with Kojo so it was confusing because—” Tim cuts himself off abruptly.
His eyes widen.
Lucy tenses in his arms.
“Oh my god.
“Uh…”
“You use the same tone with me that you use with the dog?!”
“I mean…”
“Lucy.”
“Okay, maybe sometimes I use my 'Kojo voice' on you.”
Tim groans and lets his head fall back against the pillows.
“In my defense though, you’re both my all-bark, anti-facon, cuddly softies who love when I do this”—Lucy reaches up to scratch her nails through his hair and Tim's only a little embarrassed at the way his eyes automatically flutter shut—“so forgive me if I use the same tone with my two favorite boys in the whole world.”
Tim shakes his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re comparing me to Kojo right now.”
Lucy shimmies up the bed a bit so her face is level with Tim’s. “Well, I don’t do this with Kojo.” She leans down and presses her lips to Tim’s softly.
“Christ, Luce, I should hope not,” Tim says when she pulls away, and Lucy bursts out laughing.
(Tim knows she’s laughing at him, but fuck that’s his favorite noise in the entire world and he can’t even bring himself to be irritated).
“Tim,” she says, when her laughter finally subsides, “I love you so much. But it’s been a long day, and I have to be at the hospital in five hours—”
Tim cuts her off. “You mean we have to be at the hospital in five hours.”
The soft smile Lucy gives him at his correction lights up their bedroom. “Well, I guess that’s just even more reason for both of us to go back to sleep.”
Tim sighs. “Okay, okay. I guess you’re right. Goodnight, Lucy.”
She gives him one more peck before settling back down so her head is once again pressed against his heart. “Goodnight, honey.”
Tim preens a bit at the nickname and wraps both his arms around her, drawing her in as close to him as he possibly can as he starts to let sleep take hold.
It’s only a minute before his eyes pop back open.
“Wait, you still didn’t answer the question!”