Work Text:
February 2
It was early. Earlier than Lucy typically woke up but thoughts had been plaguing her mind since the minute the calendar flipped to February. Valentine’s Day was less than two weeks away and she had no idea what she was going to get Tim. It was their first real Valentine’s Day as a couple.
Last year they’d only been dating for a few weeks and mutually agreed on something lowkey with no pressure. So they’d enjoyed an easy dinner out and a movie back at his place. One that neither of them really saw because they spent more time making out than actually watching it.
Lucy smiles at the memory and glances over at Tim who is still out cold. Blissfully unaware of the turmoil she was suffering from. She knew he probably got her something amazing for Valentine’s Day. He’d knocked every gift out of the park since they’d started dating. Her birthday, Christmas, their anniversary… she’d been left speechless at just how well Tim knew her. And she wasn’t a slouch when it came to giving gifts either but she just wanted to make sure that Tim knew how much she loved him.
The problem was… he was a simple man. Police, sports, Dr. Who and her is pretty much where it ended with him. He didn’t need a lot. He’d told her that from the get go. But she didn’t let that deter her.
And that’s why she finds herself up forty-five minutes before her alarm was to go off so she could scour the internet for a gift or at least an idea of a gift. She’s deep in her search when an ad pops up for a chance to win tickets to the Dodgers training camp. As she taps the X on the ad a lightbulb goes off. Tim loves the Dodgers. And while a chance to see them in training camp wouldn’t be enough, she thinks she could go down the sports avenue. She remembers awhile back Tim was watching a documentary on ESPN about his self-proclaimed “favorite Dodger’s player ever”.
Lucy racks her brain for the name. Fernando… Fernando something. She did a quick google search and there he was. Fernando Valenzuela. She recognizes his face from the documentary. She researches a little more and sees that there’s a sports memorabilia store not too far from her work that has a few Valenzuela items. She decides she’ll visit the store after school today and see if there was anything Tim might be interested in.
She navigates to her alarms, turning off this morning's so as not to wake Tim unnecessarily. She’s too wired to even try and close her eyes for the few more minutes she has. So she slowly slips out of bed and gets ready for the day.
She walked into the shop a little after four. The bell on the door chimed announcing her arrival and she looked around nervously. There were so many items she didn’t even know where to start. Thankfully for her an older gentleman appeared from behind a curtain that she assumed led to a back room. He held a trophy in one hand and a polishing cloth in the other. He glanced up briefly ready to say something but then looked up again quickly.
The look he gave Lucy wasn’t unkind, just questioning. Clearly she wasn’t the type of clientele he was used to.
“You look lost, little lady,” he smiled, placing the trophy down and leaning on the counter.
She returned his smile and let out a breath nodding and making her way towards him. “Is it that obvious?” she joked.
The man dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Anything I can help you find?”
“Um, I’m actually looking for a Valentine’s Day present for my boyfriend. He’s a huge Dodgers fan and a huge fan of Fernando Valenzuela. I saw online that you had some items of his.”
The man nodded and gestured toward a corner shelf that had various miscellaneous items. “Haven’t had anyone looking for anything Valenzuela related in years.” They stopped in front of the shelf. Lucy scanned the items. Among them a picture of the team, a dented bat with a few player signatures and the item that caught her eye was a plastic cube with a signed baseball inside.
The man saw the way Lucy’s eyes lingered on the ball. He grabbed it off the shelf and handed it to her to look at.
“This is signed by him?” She asked, turning it in her hands.
“Sure is. That’s one of the balls he pitched with in the 1981 World Series. I have a certificate of authentication to go with it.”
Lucy smiled as she imagined the look on Tim’s face when he opened it. “How much,” she looked up at the man briefly before looking at the ball again.
He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. She felt as though he was trying to assess whether or not she was a genuine buyer interested in buying a gift for her boyfriend, or trying to scam him out of an expensive piece of baseball history.
“Your boyfriend. What’s he do?” The man asked.
Lucy looked up again, this time confused. What did what Tim did have to do with how much he was going to sell her the ball for? She answered cautiously. “He’s a police sergeant.”
He nodded again. Pursing his lips and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “Tell you what. I can let it go for $300.”
Lucy gasped a little, almost dropping the ball. She wasn’t exactly sure what price she was expecting but she knew it wasn’t going to be cheap either. She took a deep breath and smiled. Tim was worth it.
“Deal,” she held out her hand to the man who took it eagerly and then gestured up to the register. He dug through a box of papers and found the certificate of authentication and slid it into an envelope and then into a plain brown paper bag that also held the ball.
“Thank you so much for your help,” Lucy smiled as she turned to leave.
“I hope your boyfriend likes it.” She heard him say as she exited the store.
When Lucy got home she stood in the doorway, looking around. She had to hide the ball somewhere. But where could she hide it for two weeks where her cop boyfriend wouldn’t find it and where she wouldn’t forget she hid it.
She tried several different places. Her bedside table, the top of their closet, the back of the shelves in the living room that housed their pictures. Every time she ended up moving it, her mind concocting a scenario in which Tim would stumble upon it in each hiding spot. Finally she decided that behind the washing machine was the best option. Not only was laundry her preferred chore, so she would remember her gift every time she did a load, but on the off chance that Tim did go into the laundry room the chances of him looking behind the washing machine were almost nonexistent.
February 13
Tim wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t. It was just the Valentine’s Day gift he’d ordered for Lucy weeks ago STILL had not arrived. Okay so maybe he was panicking a little. The company wasn’t answering his emails and Valentine’s Day was tomorrow and there was no way he’d be able to get another amazing gift in time. He dialed his sister’s number in hopes that she had a solution.
“Hey,” Genny grumbled into the phone. Tim could hear horns honking and he knew she was probably stuck in traffic.
“Hey sis. I need your help.”
“Let me guess. You forgot to buy Lucy a Valentine’s Day present,” she commented.
“No!” He defended. “I ordered one weeks ago. That full Korean skin care line she loves.”
“That’s amazing! What’s the problem?”
“It never came. And they’re not responding to my emails, so I need a last minute present.” Tim’s voice was desperate.
“What about jewelry?” Genny suggested.
“That’s so cliche. I wanted to get her something special.” He heard his sister scoff on the other end of the phone.
“You’re cute but women really love,” Tim abruptly hangs up the phone when Lucy walks into the living room. She’s dressed in dark jeans and a white blouse with pink hearts. He knows her classes’ Valentine’s Day party is today so he hands her a to go cup full of coffee.
“Good morning!” He grins at her.
“Good morning,” she said, accepting the coffee with a grateful expression.
Tim was trying not to look like he was stressed and he knew he wasn’t doing a totally great job if the confused look on Lucy’s face was anything to go by. “You okay?” she asked.
“Fine,” he affirmed, although a little too quickly.
“Okay,” she drawled, reaching for her bag. “I gotta go but I’ll see you tonight yeah?”
“I will see you tonight,” he nodded. “Have a great day baby,” he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.
“Thanks.”
When Lucy closed the door behind her, Tim let out a breath. He had no idea how he was going to work today and find the perfect last minute present for his girlfriend.
He gathered his own coffee and keys and locked the house down before heading for the station.
By mid-morning, Tim was no closer to finding a gift than he was before work. He’d been on the phone with a department store arguing with a saleswoman who accused him of waiting until the last minute to get a gift. With a frustrated sigh, he hung up and dropped his head back against his chair.
He’s not sure what made the idea pop into his head, but the minute he did, he began scrambling. Lucy loved flowers. And a bouquet of her favorites delivered to her at work would at least help soften the blow tomorrow night when he accepted his award for worst boyfriend ever when he had a lame gift, or worse no gift to give her.
He found a florist near Mid-Wilshire elementary that did same day deliveries. He ordered sunflowers with pink roses and even sprung for a note. He was assured that they would be delivered no later than 1pm.
Lucy was having a day. She was pretty sure the parents sent their kids to school hopped up on sugar to make up for the fact that they were going to be coming home the same way. She couldn’t wait for this day to be over. She just wanted to go home to Tim and relax and sleep for twenty-four hours. She had just dropped her kids off at lunch and decided to make a detour to the front office. Upon walking in she was met with the sight of the most beautiful bouquet of flowers she’d ever seen. Bright yellow sunflowers, pink roses surrounded by white baby’s breath.
“Oh perfect timing,” the secretary chirped, shifting Lucy’s focus. “I was just about to deliver these to you.”
“Me?” Lucy asked, turning to look at the flowers again.
“You, hun.” the older woman smiled. “There’s a note too,” she wiggled her eyebrows.
Lucy could feel her cheeks pinking up. There was only one person she could think of that would be sending her flowers this beautiful and it made her heart melt. Sure Tim had gotten her flowers before. Heck he’d brought them on their first date. But he’d never sent them to her work before. He didn’t seem like the type. But he just kept surprising her in the best ways possible.
She grabbed what she’d initially come into the office for and then picked up the flowers to make the walk back to her room. She opted to read the note in private. She’d gotten a few sideways glances from other teachers that saw her walking with the beautiful arrangement. She paid them no mind. Especially the overexaggerated scoff from Miss Taylor. She was a brand new Kindergarten teacher who had been visibly jealous of Lucy since the beginning of the school year. She heard her mumble something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like show off before closing her classroom door. Lucy shook her head and entered her own room placing the vase down on her desk and plucking the note from its holder.
In type font were the words:
For the most beautiful girl in the world. I know it’s a day early but I just want you to remember I love you so much every single day and not just the ones I’m supposed to. You are everything to me and I hope you never forget that.
Lucy read over the words a couple times and by the time she set the note down there were tears welling in her eyes. How on earth did she get so lucky to be loved by a man like Tim Bradford. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number, hoping he wasn’t on a call or too busy to answer.
Thankfully he picked up on the second ring. “Hey beautiful,” he greeted her and she melted just a little bit more.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“You okay?” Tim asked, now sounding worried.
“Oh yeah,” she sniffed. “I’m fine. Just…”
“Just what Luce?”
“I love my flowers. Thank you so much Tim. That was like the sweetest thing someone’s ever done for me.”
Tim smiled on the other end of the phone, the worry he’d felt a minute ago, disappearing. “You’re welcome baby. You deserve it. And I may or may not have wanted to let everyone there know that I’m in love with you.”
“Is that so?” She murmured.
“Mmm,” Tim hummed. Lucy heard a voice in the background and she knew Tim had to go.
“Alright sweetheart. I have to go but I love you and I’ll see you tonight.”
“I love you too Tim. So much. See you tonight.”
They hung up the phone and Lucy couldn’t wipe the smile off her face for the rest of the day.
By the time Tim got home from work it was close to six. He still hadn’t heard from the skincare company or come up with a backup gift. He was slowly resigning himself that he was going to have to tell Lucy what happened when he didn’t present her with a gift tomorrow night.
He felt even worse when he walked into the bedroom to see Lucy on their bed in a pink lacy set of lingerie she’d clearly bought for his pleasure. However when she adjusted herself to sit up on her knees and curled her finger gesturing him toward the bed, all thoughts of Valentine’s Day, presents and everything else went out the window.
February 14
It was rare that Lucy woke up before Tim. Especially on the weekends. But here she was staring at the ceiling while the beginning rays of sunlight danced through their curtains. Tim was wrapped around her from behind. Both of them naked and sated from the previous night. She’d surprised him with a new set of lingerie when he got home and they enjoyed each other all night.
Which was another reason she was surprised she was up so early. Maybe she was excited about giving Tim his gift today. She thought about the red bag behind the washing machine that held the baseball and she kept picturing Tim opening it. And she couldn’t wait to see what he’d gotten her. If the flowers yesterday were any indication, his gift was going to be amazing.
She slid out of bed, to start their coffee. Tim had to go into work for a little bit today and tonight they were going to a fundraiser to support Angela’s husband Wesley running for District Attorney. And then after that they were giving each other their gifts.
Tim comes out of the bedroom a couple minutes later, sneaking up behind her. “You’re up early.” he comments.
“Mmm, couldn’t sleep”
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispers, turning her around so he can kiss her.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she smiles into the kiss and for a moment coffee is forgotten. Finally they both pull back, lips swollen, and breathless. “Presents tonight right?”
Tim nodded, albeit he looked a little nervous but was quick to cover it up with a smile. “Presents tonight. You’re gonna love what I got you.”
“Same,” Lucy giggled as he pinched her sides. “Alright go get ready before you’re late. I’ll make breakfast.”
He stalked off to the bathroom praying for a miracle between now and tonight.
However, a miracle he did not get. Or at least he thought. When the fundraiser was over, Tim drove them home and he was distracted as he was preparing the speech in his head as to why he didn’t have a gift and how he’d make it up to her.
When he turned into their driveway he was so preoccupied he didn’t even notice the brown box sitting in front of their front door.
“Did you order something babe?” Lucy asked, tearing him away from his thoughts.
“Huh? What?” he sputtered.
Lucy looked at him perplexed before repeating, “There’s a box at the door. I didn’t order anything. Did you?”
Tim’s head snapped to the front door, his eyes widening. “Oh my god. What impeccable timing.”
“Huh?”
“Um, nothing baby. You go in and get comfortable and I’ll be in in a minute.”
“Kay,” she leaned over to kiss his cheek before hopping out of the truck.
As soon as she was inside, Tim rushed up to the door. The box was unmarked and he prayed that it was what he thought it was. When he opened it he let out a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding in. Thank God! It was Lucy’s gift. He closed the top really quick and made his way inside. Maybe he could wrap it quickly. But when he walked inside, she was standing in the doorway with a bashful look on her face, holding a red bag.
“I couldn’t wait anymore,” she smiled, holding out the bag.
He grinned at her cute expression. “Okay,” he put the box down and took the bag. It was clear she was excited to give him his gift. He took out the tissue paper and peered inside and saw a small plastic cube. When he pulled it out of the bag his lips parted and he looked up at Lucy and then back at the ball and then finally at Lucy again. He opened his mouth to say something but words failed him.
“Do you like it?” Lucy wondered, taking his silence for something other than awe.
Tim cleared his throat, “I- I love it. No, I love you. This is amazing. How- Lucy this is amazing!”
She let out a relieved breath, blinking a few times. She was glad he liked it.
“How did you even find something like this?” Tim asked in wonderment.
“I have my ways,” she tilted her head. “Oh wait there’s more.” She rushed to their bedroom and opened up the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out a book. She flipped to a random page and retrieved the envelope she stashed away. When she returned to the living room, Tim was still standing there staring in awe at the ball. She sauntered up to him and planted herself right in front of him.
“Here,” she held out the envelope but this time Tim looked confused. But he took it and began pulling out its contents. Before he could start reading, Lucy spoke again. “It’s a certificate of authentication. It says that Valenzuela pitched with this ball in the 1981 World Series.”
Tim looked at her again and then down at the paper in his hands. “Baby are you serious?” He gasped.
Lucy nodded her head and before she knew what was happening Tim’s lips were on hers. “You’re amazing,” he muttered in between pecks. “This is the best present ever. Thank you so much!”
She grinned up at him proudly and melted a little at the look of love in his eyes. They just stood there for a moment staring at each other before Tim finally stepped back. He took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. Lucy followed his line of sight and she’d almost forgotten about the box he’d been carrying when he walked in.
“Okay,” he started. “It’s a long story and I’m sorry it’s not wrapped but I need you to know one thing. I did not wait until the last minute to order this.”
Lucy eyed him, taking the box without looking away. “Okay?” The word slipping out around a chuckle. She peeked inside the box and her breath hitched. She shifted the box to one hand so she could dig through the contents with the other. “Tim! Are you- did you- babe!” Her shoulders sagged and she tilted her head smiling up at him. It was her turn to be in awe of him.
“It’s everything the line has to offer. I ordered it weeks ago and when it didn’t get here and the company wasn’t answering my emails…” he huffed. “I was prepared to grovel on my knees and make it up to you anyway I could.”
She laughed at his clear distress over the situation before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Thank you. This is amazing. But the flowers yesterday would have been enough.” She said sincerely.
But Tim shook his head. “No. You deserve more. You deserve everything.”
Tears welled in Lucy’s eyes because she’d never had this before. Someone who loved her wholly and completely who she loved right back with everything she had inside of her. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Luce. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”