Work Text:
Tim definitely noticed it the first time they dated. Probably more so back then because they weren’t living together. So when articles of his clothing would go missing he always knew exactly where to find them. Not that he minded one bit. Lucy Chen in his clothes was breathtaking. The way everything made her look even smaller and more adorable. But it wasn’t lost on him that she was really his first girlfriend that stole his clothes. Even Isabel never stole so much as a tshirt.
But with Lucy… it seemed like any chance she got, she preferred his clothes to her own. At night, more often than not she’d opt to sleep in one of his worn tshirts, a pair of underwear and nothing else. The way she’d reach for whatever of his was on the floor after they got through with… other things. Or when she was cold, she would immediately rummage through his hoodies.
Now that they were living together, it wasn’t as noticeable. Seeing as how they shared a closet, things didn’t necessarily go missing. What was obvious was when he was putting away laundry. Like now, he was putting away way more than he remembered wearing that week. And when he looked at Lucy’s folded pile it was significantly smaller. Tim just smiled and shook his head because at the end of the day, a little extra laundry was worth it because he loved seeing his girlfriend wearing his clothes.
When Lucy gets home later that evening, Tim meets her at the door, greeting her with a few short kisses and a warm embrace. She wraps her arms around his waist and melts into him. Her whole body relaxes when he squeezes her tighter against him.
“How was the rest of your shift?” His voice is muffled against her hair as he places a chaste kiss there.
She sighs and doesn’t answer right away. But Tim gets it. Being the supervising sergeant can be difficult. For a lot of reasons. “I like Smitty as a person but the man needs to retire.” Lucy says, pulling away but not moving entirely out of his space. She looks up at him and he can tell she’s exhausted. “Seriously. He’s a liability to the entire department.”
Tim chuckles briefly before leaning in to place a kiss on her forehead. “Why don’t you go take a nice hot shower and I’ll finish dinner and then you can tell me all about it.”
She nods, traipsing to their bathroom. He watches her disappear down the hall before returning to the kitchen. Lucy emerges twenty minutes later, just as he is pulling the potatoes out of the oven. Her hair is wet and cascading over her shoulder as she ties it into a braid. He does a double take when he notices that she’s wearing his old army shirt, a pair of his old boxers and a pair of his socks. She waltzes into the living room and plops down on the couch, letting out a loud dramatic sigh.
“Do you want to eat out there tonight babe?” Tim asks, fixing their plates.
“I don’t think I can move, so yes.”
He brings their plates to the coffee table and Lucy sits up. He retrieves their drinks and then takes his spot next to her. The first couple bites are eaten in silence before Lucy jumps into the tale of Smitty and how he almost caught the station on fire. Apparently he was heating up one of his many daily snacks in the breakroom microwave. And instead of pushing only two minutes, he somehow pushed twenty. Then he got tired of waiting and walked away. Thankfully someone else walking by saw the smoke and stopped it before it got too out of hand. But Lucy had to fill out an incident report and listen to Smitty blather on about how this wouldn’t have happened if the LAPD would just hire an in-house chef like he’d been suggesting for years.
Tim just shook his head, shocked but not at all surprised at the recollection of events. He made a mental note to mention something about it at roll call in the coming days. When dinner was finished, Lucy insisted on cleaning up. She loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the counter and table before reclaiming her spot next to her boyfriend.
Except this time, she laid down with her head in his lap and looked up at him. He was staring at her with so much love, all she could do was close her eyes and soak it in. Tim’s hand found its way into her hair, lightly scratching her crown, before reaching down and undoing her braid so he could comb his fingers through the damp strands.
A low moan escaped Lucy, the motion causing her eyes to droop and her mind to feel at peace. She’s not sure how long they’d been sitting like this when Tim finally speaks.
“Can I ask you something?”
She was teetering on the edge of sleep but his voice jolted her back to reality. She didn’t open her eyes but she rolled her head, humming in acknowledgement of his question.
“You’re always wearing my clothes," He says softly, moving his hand to play with the fabric of his tshirt that is hanging loose on her shoulder.
Lucy blinks up at him, and tilts her head. “That’s a statement babe. Not a question,” she finally says and moves to sit up slightly. She maneuvers herself so she’s pressed against him, legs now draped over his lap and his hand falls to her bare calf. “Does it bother you?” Lucy looks timid now, a hint of vulnerability shining through her gaze. “I mean I never really asked. I just kind of…” she trails off.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Tim answers honestly. “Not at all.”
She looks relieved.
“No it’s just I’ve always noticed. Especially when things would go missing and I’d find them at your apartment,” there’s a teasing lilt to Tim’s words and Lucy’s cheeks pink up. “But you’re the first person that I’ve been with that does that.” He rubs her calf gently and smiles. “I like it. Love it actually. Seeing you dressed down… in my clothes… is sexy.” He wiggles his eyebrows and leans in to place a soft kiss on her lips.
Lucy’s cheeks once again pink up. She’s never had anyone make her feel as beautiful as Tim does. “You’re the first relationship I've ever felt truly comfortable in,” she begins and takes his hand in hers. “You’ve been my comfort for so long. My safe place. My home. And I don’t know. I started stealing things to wear when I knew we were going to be spending the night apart for whatever reason. Having a little piece of you… it wasn’t the same but it was something. It was my comfort until I was in your arms again.”
Tim stares at her, his blue eyes boring into her.
“And then maybe I did notice the way you looked at me a few times when I’d put your shirt on after our… extracurricular activities.” She chuckles. “And I don’t know. You never said anything so I just kept doing it because wearing your clothes was like an extra layer of comfort. An extra dose of home.”
“God I love you so fucking much Lucy,” Tim breaths as he flips them so he is hovering above her. “You are… God you are the most incredible person I’ve ever met and I’m so lucky that you chose to give me a second chance.”
“I love you too Tim,” she surges up, attaching her lips to his. “So it’s okay if I keep wearing your things?” She whispers, pulling back but only slightly.
“What’s mine is yours baby,” Tim smirks. “But um, how about right now you lose all of this,” he plays with the hem of the shirt as he pushes it up her stomach. “And you let me show you how much I love seeing you out of my clothes.”
Lucy nods and giggles, and lets Tim take control.